Articles from Ultimate Dog Training

Ultimate Dog Training specializes in behavioral consultations, obedience training, socialization training, boarding, daycare, reiki, massage, natural healing, wellness therapy, and as a behavioral advisor for rescue programs.

By Jeanne Perciaccanto - Ultimate Dog Training
All Articles Copyright © Jeanne Perciaccanto. Not to be reproduced in any form without written permission.

Disturbing News . . . .

One Day We'll put an End To The Breeding Of Dogs & Cats!
The PETA Death Connection

Articles by Jeanne Perciaccanto . . . .

Introduction to E-Collars
I Taught My Dog What?
The Monster Within
Puppy Kindergarten
Recall
Remote Training, the Wave of the future
Gift of Health
Nutrition and Your Dog’s Behavior

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One Day We'll put an End To The Breeding Of Dogs & Cats!
BY PAUL ROOT
of the California Federation of Dog Clubs Alliance of Responsible Pet Owners, Inc.

Would you like to know who said that and why? The who is easy- Ingrid Newkirk-the co-founder of PETA as in People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The why is more difficult and it will take the rest of this article to try and explain so I'll use all of Ingrid's statement to clarify her position. "The bottom line is that people don't have the right to manipulate or breed dogs or cats. If people want toys, they should buy inanimate objects. If they want companionship, they should seek it with their own kind. One day, we will put an end to the breeding of dogs and cats." A similar statement is found in the "Animal Rights Agenda". This is a published "blueprint" of what they want and how they plan to go about.getting their way. I will briefly touch upon this 12 point plank and let you decide whose side you'd choose.

The ARA, as it's called, was created back in the 80's and as you can see they have done well in achieving many of their goals to date 2000 and they're not stopping in the new millen nium. In fact, they have increased their efforts and we are daily faced with yet another challenge. The passage of a new "Guardian" law in Boulder, Colorado is the most recent and has given rise for the call to "turn up the heat" in other towns and cities. Los Angeles, Berkeley, San Jose, and San Francisco in California, Chicago, IL, New York, NY, and Miami, FL, just to name a few. It really isn't the change from owner to guardian that concerns them -rather their attempt to elevate animal rights to the same status of a retarded child. When this occurs-the courts will be besieged with lawsuit after lawsuit brought to an already clogged system by an "animal conservator", fighting on behalf of the animals rights. Ownership as we know it, will become extinct.

So then, will follow the sport of showing dogs. Animal Rights groups especially vilify dog and cat breeders. Have you ever noticed how the AR groups attack the breeder in their legislation? This is not by chance. Statistics clearly show that the "breeder" is more likely to be a responsible pet owner. They register their animals, don't stake them out on chains, spay and neuter and require such contracts for the sale of pet animals, obey existing laws already on the books, and, in -general, offers excellent care and comfort to their animals. On the other hand, we find the irresponsible pet owner who is the direct antithesis of the description above. Statistics would also indicate that they are responsible for any perception of a pet overpopulation problem (feral cats excluded), vicious or roaming dogs, and sub standard care of animals they shouldn't even own, but do! It is the irresponsible owner that should give the AR groups fodder and direction for their attacks, but instead; they direct their ire towards you! Here is an additional reason for the "Why", asked earlier in this article. Remember Ingrid's comment, "One day we will put and end to the breeding.of dogs and cats!" That's why you, as a breeder, walk around with an Animal Rights Bulls Eye on your forehead!

The Animal Rights movement is not new. It spans centuries but never before have they come this close to accomplishing their mission. Today's groups are incredibly well organized and the top 20 operate on 6 figure annual budgets, as in $100,000.00 +. The "big 3", as in the Humane Society of the United States, HSUS, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, PETA, and the Doris Day Animal League, DDAL, are in the millions. HSUS has revenue of almost $70,000,000.00, but spends less than 3% on actual "animal welfare" related projects. The majority of their efforts are aimed at accomplishing the Animal Rights Angenda. They support Breed Specific Legislation, Breeder Bans, Anti Breeder/owner legislation, and restrictive spay or pay plans that are all directed towards the responsible breeder. HSUS is truly a wolf in sheep's clothing. They started out as an "animal welfare" organization but have gradually adopted more radical "Animal Rights" philosophies. They have been infiltrated with former members of the more radical groups like PETA and Fund For Animals, FFA. While they once 'did care for the animals' now they care more for the rights of the animals. This philosophy is in deep contrast to animal welfare and the AR backers feel AW is a stumbling block to achieving their goals.

In the 1992 edition of "Animals Agenda", they state the following. "As long as humans have rights and non humans do not, as in the case of the animal welfarist framework, non humans will lose when their interests conflict with human interests. Thus, animal welfare reforms, by their very nature, can only serve to retard the pace at which animal rights goals are achieved." I love using their own words against them. If it wasn't for their elitism and arrogance, this would be a better-kept secret than it is now. They don't try and hide their intent or their tracks for the same reason. Check out the AR website"http://www.Envirolink.org" Here is where the Animal Rights Agenda meets the Green Movement. The web sites are state of the art and offer a very chilling picture of how they want to separate your rights as an owner and replace them with their idea of how things should be.

PETA came to be in 1981 with less than $100.00 in the bank. They now boast a membership of over 500,000 and income of over $16,000,000.00. Not bad for a couple of idealistic "Vegans" with an idea. Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco were the co-founders of PETA. It is amazing they could develop such a following and still make quotes like the following: Ingrid -"Even if animals research produced a cure [for AIDS], we'd be against it!" Alex also opines, "Arson, property destruction, burglary, and theft, are "acceptable crimes" when performed for the animal cause. Most of the PETA Faithful don't even know their true agenda and when faced with these statements of published fact, will offer a "carte blanche" absolution on their behalf. It is this campaign of "misinformation" that has allowed PETA to get where they are today and the media rarely if ever holds them accountable for these actions and misstatements. Lately they have become even more emboldened and are assuming a "terrorist role" that had been, in the past, reserved for the Animal Liberation Front. ALF is on the FBI's "Terrorist List" and "task forces" have been created around the country to track their movements. In recent demonstrations in Minneapolis, bags faced with a solution of cyanide were found in doorways to McDonald's. Their followers harangue and assault those that would dare to wear fur, they call milk "liquid meat", and in Los Angeles at the Democratic convention, he "Pink PETA Pig" was arrested after dumping a load of manure on a LA city street. Their campaign against McDonald's has cost the company millions and the '.'Unhappy Meal", a box filled with dismembered animal parts and Ronald McDonald holding a bloody ax, goes well beyond the pale. AR groups refer to this strategy as "rope a -dope" -because the American Public continues to let these actions take place with no consequence. This is also quite evident in our own "dog fancy community". Where is the outrage?! the outcry?! These are the same people who want to put an end to the owning and breeding of all dogs and cats!

In order to thwart this movement, the dog community must unite into a singular voice. We must support our All Breed and Specialty clubs, work through our Herding clubs and associations, your tracking and agility clubs, get yourself and them involved. You've got to do something! If you don't, showing dogs as you know it now will become a memory, for if the "Animal Rights" folks get their way, they will put an end to the breeding of dogs and cats! I am amazed at the number of participants in our sport that display such apathy to what is a clear and present danger. If you haven't realized the danger in the past, research the Animal Rights Movement and see for yourself what the "other side" is planning for your "golden years". If you do know what they're up to and do nothing, don't cry to anyone when they're taking your right to show your dogs away!

Here is a list of those organizations that are already fighting the AR groups on your behalf. I have included their address online:
American Dog Owners Assn. www.adoa.org
National Animal Interest Alliance www.naiaonline.org
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance www.rpoa.org
Association for Responsible Per Ownership, Inc. 640 Bailey Road # 306, Pittsburg, CA 94565.

Give these organizations your money and your support, they're fighting for YOUR rights and OUR right to continue showing dogs!

The PETA Death Connection
Two PETA representatives kill and dump dogs they "rescued" from shelters

A man and a woman claiming to be representatives of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have been arrested in North Carolina for killing dogs they received from two animal shelters. The two were using a van registered to PETA in Norfolk, Virginia.

Following a month-long investigation, officers in Ahoskie, North Carolina, arrested Andrew Benjamin Cook, 24, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Adria Joy Hinkle, 27, of Norfolk, Virginia, on 31 felony counts of animal cruelty and eight misdemeanor counts of illegal disposal of dead animals. The cruelty charges stem from discovery of 18 dog bodies found in a dumpster and 13 dead dogs in the van.

The police investigation was triggered by the discovery of dead animal bodies on several Wednesdays. On June 15, several law enforcement officers watched as Cook and Hinkle unloaded several dark bags into a dumpster behind a market. They stopped the van before it could pull away.

The animal officer for the Bertie County Animal Shelter identified the bodies as dogs that were picked up at the shelter earlier that day. The officer said the pair had been picking up animals at his shelter for the past two months on the pretext they were taking them to Norfolk, Virginia, to place them in good homes.

The investigation and arrests confirm what NAIA has known for years: PETA's "sanctuary" exists to give the organization a veneer of respectability that is no more legitimate than a front business used by mobsters as a cover for corrupt activities.

PETA is no stranger to killing animals it claims are better dead than held captive. From 1998-2003, PETA killed more than 10,000 of the 13,000 animals brought to its sanctuary in Norfolk. 3

A veterinarian speaks out . . . .

Ahoskie veterinarian Dr. Patrick Proctor said that he has spayed and neutered animals brought to him by PETA representatives for several years. The representatives asked him if he had any adoptable animals they could also take to Norfolk for placement in new homes. Over the years, he sent about 50 animals with them, including a mother cat and two kittens in the Wednesday pick-up. He identified one of the dead dogs found Wednesday as a six-month-old Labrador retriever cross puppy in apparently good condition except for the hypodermic needle hole in its front leg.

Proctor said that he is trying to get the word out about these killings and has called national media in an attempt to get them interested in the story.

Cook and Hinkle, who have been identified in news stories as PETA employees, are out on bond.

Their first court date is Friday, June 17.

Introduction to E-Collars
By Jeanne Perciaccanto - Ultimate Dog Training
Certified Honors Graduate

The finest of equipment offers the greatest clarity in training.

Electronic collars of today are highly sophisticated tools of communication. The communication is a foundation of training language, which offers precise clarity of intent for learned behaviors. This language occurs through the clear capturing of a dog's behavior with the immediacy of timing so there is no missed communication for the dog. The timing is all important to create a clear concise gain of information for the dog to understand exactly what the handlers’ desires are and how the dog should proceed with their behavior.

The use of the collar is straightforward, un complicated and extremely flexible. The foundation work is the most important for basic comprehension and all future learning. In these early stages, a dog learns to understand how to interpret the collar language and implement that language into behaviors. A short cut at this stage will effect all future development for the dog and handler, so it becomes the most valuable part of the dogs training process. The handler most also understand how the learning is created and the steps necessary in building a strong foundation. No training moves forward if the foundation is incomplete.

Thought

The three parts of collar training are: thought, capture and learned behavior.

In the early stages of learning, the tapping of the collar produces thought. In later stages the tapping means "to do." Experienced collar trainers are skilled at utilizing all three aspects during this phase. Before any training starts, they find a beginning working level. This level is the lowest possible number that creates a new behavior in the dog. The indication identifies that something different has been added to the dogs thought process.

An example would be a fly lands on your arm. The message from your brain indicates something is different and you look to see what makes this sensation occur. For the dog, the tapping of the collar becomes the "fly". The tapping produces thought, the thought then becomes an action which is captured as the desired behaviors occur.

Another example would be clapping your hands loudly. At the sound, the dog will look to see where the sound came from, this is thought. If you clap again, the dog looks at you realizing where the sound originally came from, this is capture. Now add body movement away from the dog who begins to follow and when it comes you, praise, this now becomes learned behavior. You have captured the dogs thought process and created an action and direction. Thought occurs because something new is introduced to the dog. In thought, the dog begins to offer a new direction of behavior, as the behavior begins, it is then captured. Thought and capture equal learned behavior.

Clapping means come to you.

Capture

The first part of the process is to create action in thought, which is what tapping the buttons does. Tapping creates thought in the first stages, then means "to do" in later stages.

Capturing behaviors is a unique training process and application which offers faster learning with greater retention by the dog.

Capturing behaviors is done through the language of the collar which is the tapping or creation of thought which in turn becomes a physical action with the dog.

Upon tapping the collar, the dog looks to see where the sensation is coming from, the trainer begins to mark or capture minute indicators. If you could imagine the movement of a second hand on a clock as it moves around the clock face. Each tick, or in this case dogs' movement, is captured as the dog indicates motion in the direction the trainer is looking for. Some call this Successive Approximation.

An eye look is capture. The look becomes a head turn, also captured, which becomes a step forward as the dogs motion is captured in thought. The dog begins to understand you want me to move this way or that. Going from one step to another, the trainer begins to move the dogs from thought into action. As behaviors are captured and become repetition of action, commands begin to be introduced. It is a finely tuned process with exact capture of the smallest behaviors used to communicate with the dog.

Capture allows the handler to create the most minute behaviors in all aspects of dog training with the simplest clarity for the dog to understand.

Levels

The most misunderstood aspect of collar training is the use of levels and how they apply to the individual dog.

Think of levels as a car radio! We adjust our listening based on outside noise interference. Leaving you house, the radio may be on level 5. Sounds are comfortable and easily heard. Driving on the highway, you may turn the radio up to a level 10 or higher as an adjustment to outside noises. You are still maintaining the same listening level of sound but due to outside interference, the radio needs to play at louder levels. When you drive through different outside noises, you turn the radio up or down to maintain the same listening comfort. Levels on the collar offer the same "tuning" for outside noise, which for dogs are called distraction.

As a distraction occurs, the same as with the car radio and outside noise, level are tuned for continued hearing. There is a "Float" of levels based on how loud a distraction is. All distraction are not the same and are based on the dogs value placed on the distraction. Teaching an "off" command when company comes into the house may be one value, but, the same "off" command while chasing a cat may be an entirely different value. The values are determined by the dog, not us.

Each dog is individual and the interpretation of distraction values varies from dog to dog and circumstance to circumstance. The varied levels on the collar allow trainers to work with all dogs at the most appropriate level (value) necessary to allow the capture of behaviors at all times. This enables handlers to maintain consistency in learning.

Varied levels are necessary to keep the constancy from one learning opportunity to another. Where a dog may work at a maintenance level of 1 around the house, they may not when cat runs up a tree! Once the outside distraction or noise is reduced, the level of the collar is altered to meet the dog’s new level of “hearing.” As the basic foundation is understood, beginning handlers can experience rapid success with problem solving and primary commands at a higher skill set and flexibility in varied environments than ever before simply due the consistency of levels.

Indirect Disobedience

Indirect Disobedience is that space in time between when a command is given to when the owner is actually able to achieve a positive response from the dog. If the space is too wide, vague or incomplete, the dog is then allowed to continue and follow through with the original behaviors, until such time as the owner physically steps in and generates a desired response. The space and time is where the dog actually learns.

An example would be a dog puts their paws up onto the kitchen counter. The owner begins to tell the dog, "Down" and repeats the command many times as they move towards the dog to remove the offending paws. That space in time between when a command is given and when the result actually occur is where the dog begins to learn: how long they have to keep their paws on the counter; how fast they need to pull something off, how quickly the owner can or will affect results, how long it takes for owners to move to the dog and what sound accompanies the physical removal of the paws!

This type of approach becomes and creates what could be referred to as teaching Indirect Disobedience. They are learning to be disobedient based on your reaction and response time to their behaviors. The owner is not trying to teach the dog how to be disobedient, it is occurring by virtue of circumstance. It is the time span which allows the dog to remain on the counter from original command to response, which teaches the disobedience, also, that the owner has limitations in physical proximity to the dog. The dog learns there is a correlation between expectation (verbal command) and the ability to create results, getting the paws off the counter. The verbal command can be ignored until the physical handling is required for paw removal. Therefore, command has no meaning or expectation, since no actual follow through occurs until the owner physicaly moves the dog.

However, if the owner is able to capture the behavior, the command becomes the owner primary training tool. A dog jumping on the counter now responds to the command word ”Down” when it is given. The dog has learned the owner has the ability to create response from a distance and that there is an expectation and result which happen simultaneously. The timing of these captured behaviors has removed the time span which produces Indirect Disobedience. A captured behavior can take place at any distance to the dog whether inside or outside of the house. The flexibility is that a dog can be taught in any circumstance around the house, and the owner need not be directly connected to or even visible for the dog to learn.

The behavior can be fined tuned to an off when the dog looks at the counter to the dog not bothering with the counter.

The immediacy of the collar allows the dog to learn in the moment of thought, which is then captured and new behaviors learned. The flexibility of the collars allows this to happen in varied setting and situations to teach the dog with the owner present and out of sight.

Overlay

The collar can be used in many ways. The most important thing is to understand how to develop a correlation between voice and commands. A training tool is just that a piece of equipment to be used to assist the process of teaching. The creation of voice control is primary to any successful training process.

Most only see the collar as a tool to correct unwanted behaviors, which is a tremendously limiting use of any equipment.

It can be used as an expediency tool to motivate the dog to work faster, sharper, straighter or enhance areas of communication that need to be cleared up for the dogs performance. The dog becomes more focused on the handler developing a tighter and more immediate response to the commands.

It can be used to develop confidence in shy and nervous dogs by allowing them to focus on the owner and help learn how to deal with real life.

It can be used to reward and motivate dogs depending on how the foundation is developed.

The benefits of maintaining consistency at any distance far out weighs any other training process.

At distance of 50-100-500 feet, the handler has the same control over the dog as they would with the dog standing right next to them. They can turn, send and direct the dog beyond where the voice can be heard. This can only happen if the dog fully comprehends the language of the collar.

Capturing behaviors combines the timing of the collar, voice and direction of command into one single form of communication. The overlaying of all these parts in the training process becomes one in the dogs mind. It is not the collar making the dog follow commands but the full spectrum of the teaching process with voice, collar and movement which become one single aspect in the response to commands in the dogs mind.

Command words, direct action and immediate thought all become one timed action of capture behavior. There is no space or time lapse which allows the dog indirect disobedience due to uncertainty of expectation.

The technological refinement of the modern collar, along with, the advancement in techniques in the subtleties of training, has made the collar the most effective of all training tools. Capturing behaviors is the gentlest of all training processes. The clarity of communication is suitable for all dogs of any age or training need.

I Taught My Dog What?
Trained Disobedience
By Jeanne Perciaccanto - Ultimate Dog Training

Our dogs are very smart! They learn from everything we do with them, good or bad.

So what is trained disobedience?

People think of training as stopping a dog from doing something. “I’m going to stop them from jumping up, or stop them from stealing food off the counter!” In other words, they are going to correct their dogs into being good and do the right things by waiting for the dog to be bad!

This form of interaction is actually teaching the dog how and when to be bad and more importantly, how, where and when they do not need to listen to you.

Correction in place of teaching puts the dog into vague space of time, between effectively redirecting the dog’s action and the brief time period just prior to doing this. It’s that brief space of time that the dog is actually learning from. Once they can self-reward, nothing else you do will matter!

Lets look at a dog that is stealing food from the counter. Getting the food is a self-producing reward for the dog. They aren’t looking to have a leisurely meal, but gobble down what ever they can steal as fast as possible!

So you place the roast on the counter to prepare for dinner. The phone rings and you answer it. The dog seeing an opportunity, grabs for the meat off the counter. You turn around and starting yelling at the dog to stop, get down, drop it, NO! NO! NO! As you are yelling, you head towards the dog as quickly as possible to get them off the counter and away from the food!

This is what the dog has learned form this encounter. When you are away from them, you cannot stop them from getting up on the counter. When you are distracted with something, you won’t see them get up onto the counter. As soon as you start to yell, there is a certain amount of time before you can stop them from getting to the food. So, NO means, grab the food as fast as possible. This is trained disobedience! You are teaching your dog how much time, space and opportunity it has to do what it wants and get the reward. The dog has not learned not to steal but rather how fast to steal and the prime opportunities in which to do so!

A favorite Thanksgiving story about food stealing is: A house full of guests, turkey just out of the oven and cooling on the counter. The wife goes to the door to greet company as they arrive at the house. She hears noises from the kitchen and heads out there to see what is happening. There is her year old dog, with his head stuck inside a 22-pound turkey. To extricate himself from the bird he preceded to bang it into the cabinets, refrigerator and tried to drag the stuck turkey on the floor to remove it from the precariously perched position.

If you know your dog has a propensity towards doing something you would like it to stop, you need to teach the dog how to behave properly in those situations. Spending time teaching your dog how to be good is more effect then waiting for them to seize the opportunity.

The Monster Within
By Jeanne Perciaccanto - Ultimate Dog Training

"My dog is out of control!"
"My dog won't stop jumping!"

"My dog constantly steals food off the counters then growls at us when we try to take it away!"

Every dog is different in temperament and personality and these differences will be displayed with varying behavioral issues within our homes. Such overt behaviors as the above are the more obvious, but our dogs also have the ability to be very manipulative in the most subtle ways.

All dogs are born with the same language skills and group consciousness. They base much of what they do on a very simple premise of who is in charge and where they fit in on the ladder of succession headed to the top. To this end, they will use a variety of techniques as a way to control their existing pack (humans) and feel their way through the puzzle of human interactions/emotions, finding our weaknesses and using these to their best advantage to exploit and control by whatever means possible. Their ultimate goal is to become boss, since with rank comes certain privileges. If they can't make it to the top, the will certainly try not to become the bottom.

This self-serving, opportunistic, even selfish concept has been very successful for them for thousands of years. Their ability to read and interrupt our body language is beyond our own capabilities. They are born with this knowledge and they use it wisely, as they carefully execute patterns of behavior that result in information necessary to their needs.

Testing is the easiest way to term what they are doing. It can last for the life time of the dog depending on their personality. The Monster Within is released when an owner is not aware that the testing is taking place and unconsciously buys into the behaviors. Since the testing is a pass/fail circumstance, owners not mindful of the dog's ulterior motives that can take place with each and every interaction are setting future behaviors in motion.

Where one dog may jump up to control the pack, another may simply push your hand up with their nose or lean against you for some touches. Both cases are causing the owners to physically deal with the dog in one fashion or another as instituted by the dog. In both cases the dog learns how to control and manipulate, leaving them with a sense of control. Each time they make you respond, you have failed the test and they move up the ladder and onto the next level of testing. There is nothing wrong with touching the dog! Nothing if you have touched because you initiated the contact and not because the dog made you! Anytime you think the dog must want something, a pat on the heads, to go out, a cookie or as with some of the more active dogs, play with the toys they keep dropping in your lap, the dog is making you directly do what they want! Left unchecked, dogs that are really good at controlling and manipulating are ones that eventually end up in the shelters or rescue usually between the ages of one to two years. So what a puppy does at three or four months of age may not seem dramatic or problematic. It is not until they have amassed enough information that they then begin to really use what they have learned by taking control in the house. Their dominate behaviors can take on many forms as they see fit or necessary to control. Biting is not always the end result. A manipulative dog can become annoying, nosey, needy, excessively active dogs that won't settle down and are in high gear all the time. Some dogs become fearful or destructive when you leave home. Others may only act out during specific circumstances such as; nail cutting or grooming, growling when you try to sit on or move them off the couch, snapping when you try to take things away from them.

Leadership and language will give you the fullest potential for your dog. Combined they become the most important components necessary in having both a calm and mannerly pet, which will enable you to realize the possibilities of a full and enjoyable life with your dog.

Puppy Kindergarten
By Jeanne Perciaccanto - Ultimate Dog Training

Many owners think of training as correcting!

Training is to enhance the dog's abilities to respond appropriately to the owner in a variety of situations, thus, developing a thinking dog able to understand direction and a calm dog, having learned the benefits of boundaries and guidelines. All our dogs look for the same thing from their owners, direction!

Direction lets them know exactly were they fit in the scheme of things and exactly how they are to behave. This removes a tremendous burden from the dog, they no longer have to be responsible for everything that takes place in their environments and can just relax.

It is hard to look at a new fluffy puppy and think that there is trouble brewing behind those pretty little eyes. Trouble or not, the three Primary commands need to be taught from as early on as possible. Starting a puppy out learning to Recall, Stay and Socialization helps to build a strong working bond between owner and puppy. A calm dog is thinking dog, the more you can teach it the better it will be for them and you!

So why train a dog that has no problems at such a young age.

Puppy Kindergarten was designed for several reasons, based on the need all dogs have which is to; interact well in the normal process of daily life. This will assist the owner in raising a well behaved dog.

Spending many years owning both a boarding and day care facility was an invaluable opportunity for observation and offered tremendous insight into what dogs should have had as puppies to avoid the issues and problems many adult dogs have when encountering new circumstances. Some of these would be: Dog to dog aggression, people aggression; fearful snapping; fear shaking; running away from strangers; fear paralysis, just to name a few. There was also any number of dogs who could not go up or down just a few steps, they didn't know how! This may not be a problem until you encounter steps with a dog well over a hundred pounds that will then need to be carried up or down.

Socialization is the most important factor in any dog's life that will enhance and enable them to develop the confidence they need as adults to encounter and deal in a non reactive manner as adults to normal life.

"My dog is afraid of other dogs"!
"My dog went to the dog park the other day and was very pushy with the other dogs"!
"My dog gets very frightened when company comes into the house"!

Many will argue that puppy classes are just play time for the puppy, with little to no value as a training program.

Socialization is more than one pup playing with another. It has to do with puppies learning to deal successfully with changing environments. A puppy that has had little socialization by the time it is 16 weeks of age, may have difficulties dealing with things outside and around the home as an adult. Changing environments can be as simple as learning to go up and down steps, walk from changing surfaces such as grass to stones, not reacting to sudden sounds, are accustomed to being touched by strangers, being around children; not over reacting at the Vets office, Groomers or when boarding. To build the confidence necessary for any dog, puppies need to start early.

Interaction and play are the cornerstones of how a puppy learns.

Recall
By Jeanne Perciaccanto - Ultimate Dog Training

There are two commands all dogs need to do and do well!

One is to recall, come back when you call it and the other to stay, remain where I've placed you.

Out of these two commands, you can eventually do anything with your dog.

To teach these two commands, there are a number of steps and valuable commands built into the process.

Why is recall so important? There are a few things as necessary for the dog's safety and enjoyment. Calling your dog to you in the event of an emergency or stopping it from running out of the door or yard gate is a safety factor! The other is sanity. Nothing can drive you crazier than trying to get a dog back into the house when you are late for work. Recall also gives you the ability to take it places were the dog can run and play off leash, with full confidence it will come back when called.

Recall teaches the dog several things. They are: Voice response, heeling, send outs and off leash commands and can be used for problem solving such as jumping up on company, barking and counter surfing. First and foremost is Voice response. If your dog does not look at you when you call its name, the dog will not follow through on commands.

An example would be: Your dog is out in the backyard. You are standing in the door calling the dog's name over and over but the dog just keeps doing whatever it is doing, with no recognition of you at all. This is voice response. When you call the dog's name, they should immediately look in your direction.

Once voice response is in place, you can begin to teach the dog to follow. Following is the beginning of the heel command. Teaching the dog to initially heel right next to your left leg can be difficult. Teaching a looser command, bringing the dog in closer as you work it is more effective. The reason for this is, many dogs have been pulled and forced back, through a tight leash and collar, almost choking the dog as it is walked, This causes the dog to learn to pull away from you, creating the pull and tug walking experience many are familiar with already, setting up a repetition of behavior.
Since dogs are much smarter than we can even realize, let the dog do the thinking and set up a scenario where they can succeed.

Most recalls we have to do with our dogs don't involve face to face involvement; we are looking at the other end of the dog! So to facilitate teaching the recall in what is a more natural circumstance, teaching send outs, allows the dog to learn to come back as it moves away from you. This is done in two ways. One is to have owners sending their dogs back and forth between each of them and the other is to teach paper plate drills, In both cases, the dog learns to come back while it is heading away from, you. As a problem solver, teaching the dog to recall in high distraction situations will make it easier for the owner to control the dog when they need to. An example is a dog that jumps on company. Recall the dog as it heads towards the door and it can't jump up if coming back to you.

Off leash control takes more work. To take your dog there, it must be able to perform the initial parts of the recall program, miss a step and lose the dog at a critical time or place.

In teaching the dog proper responses, a variety of distraction must be used. Distraction training is the only avenue with which to teach control on a level necessary to proof the dog's understanding and aptitude.

We can teach our dogs to do any command very nicely in an environment with little to no distraction. This is great for teaching the language of a command but does not take the dog to the next and most important level of it's training, which is to do the commands amid high distraction. Two examples would be: your dog can sit and stay under normal circumstances but have company come to the door and all bets are off! Another example is while you are walking you dog in a very controlled manner, a cat runs across your path and the dog begins to drag and pull after it!

These two are examples of distraction training which help your dog learn to be focused and under control no matter how the environment changes. We cannot control the environment and the sudden changes that can take place around us but we can control the dog within the environment.

Remote Training, the Wave of the future
By Jeanne Perciaccanto - Ultimate Dog Training

E-Collar or Remote training has been around for almost fifty years. The original collars were used primarily for hunting dogs as way for the handlers to control their dogs in the field at a greater distance. They were what are called a "Clean Up" tool. After the dog had learned the commands and brought into off leash training, the collar was then applied not as a learning tool but a corrective one.

Compared to the products of today, these collars were unsophisticated single level units, with a one size fits all mechanics, which lead to the commonly misused term: Shock collar. The dogs were never actually shocked as one would think in terms of grabbing a live wire, it was more their sensitivity level was lower than what the collar produced. None the less, Shock collar became the catch all term to describe something that produced a stimulus. Over the years, collars have gone through technological transitions much the same as: PC, cell phones and microwave oven have, in order to bring the product to the average user.

I have always liked and used the collar on my own and with a few clients dogs over the years but never brought it into the class setting for these reasons: 1) most clients were not looking for the distance work associated with the use; 2) the size of and cost of the collar had always been prohibitive and 3) the levels were not suitable for a variety of dogs. Times have changed and remote collar technology along with it! The remote collar is now used to teach all the basics commands to a high level of competency, as well as along with the of ease of use to get dogs into advanced levels of training as part of the basic package. This means as a trainer, I can give you more in a shorter amount of time.

The size and cost of collars have dramatically changed. Collars now fit the smallest of dogs and cost has been brought down so much, average dog owners can now afford them.

The levels have gone from just one to one hundred, so there is a level that meets with any and all dogs' level for learning.

A few years ago, I went to a seminar on the use of Remote collars as a teaching tool. This fascinated me, use the collar to teach rather than correct. Having been to several seminars which promised new ways to train dogs, I always left disappointed to find the techniques the same only marketed with new names.

I went prepared to dispute and argue these new claims!

The speaker, Fred Hassen of Sit Means Sit Dog Training in Las Vegas, brought the first untrained dog out and began to work it. I sat with my mouth open as I watched him take this green dog to recall, heel and sit at a distance. What would normally take a few weeks to get a dog to this point was accomplished in about a half and hour under his expert abilities. I could see the dog thinking and responding. There were no dramatics! No dogs screaming in pain, running away, becoming aggressive or falling apart. Just a steady stream of concentrated thought took place. As he explained the use the collar as teaching a language in this new format, I knew I was watching the wave of the future in dog training. The collar was being used to teach the dog how to understand and respond to this new language and we as handlers were learning how to mark behaviors, not correct. My mind was reeling about all the applications in my classes. The ease of use in conjunction with the tremendous response in the dogs learning was a kin to a magic wand in my mind. There was no problem or dog that could not benefit from remote training. He trained dogs in various areas of use and level of ability through out the weekend: Police, ring sport, field, hunting, problem solving, companion dog training. I sat fixed upon everything he did, watching good dogs become great and great dog become unbelievable.

So I packed my bags and headed off to Las Vegas to learn and study his techniques and become the first Honors Graduate certified from the No Limitations Remote collar training school in the tri-state area. Remote training can do so many things. What is important to me is that it can save lives. Dogs that would normally run away come back when called.

Fearful and aggressive dogs that might have been put down now run and play off leash in class with other dogs. Owners, who were so frustrated and about to give the dog up to the shelter, now have well mannered dogs around the house. As more and more dog owners become familiar with the benefits of remote collar training, more will seek it out. An important thing to remember is there are many collars and trainers who use them. There is no collar that trains a dog, it is the training process used. If used improperly, the collar will actually drive the dog away, creating more of a problem for the owners. Be sure you are training with someone qualified and certified in these new techniques through the No Limitations Remote Training School. Many use the collar but only a few around the country are trained in the use of these innovative techniques.

Gift of Health
By Jeanne Perciaccanto - Ultimate Dog Training

People want to get the very best they can when purchasing anything.

They research all of the alternatives and select what they feel is the best suited for their needs whether a car, washer/dryer or a pet.

In selecting a puppy, many follow the same protocol to determine which breed would be the best for their family.

They go to the library and take out books about particular breeds. They will call their local Veterinarians and Dog Trainers to ask for suggestions or recommendations on particular aspects of a certain dog’s characteristics.

They attend dog shows to meet with and speak to various breeders.

This selection process many take several months until the perfect pet is found.

Upon bringing their new pet home, they will then do the unthinkable, putting their dog on any dog food. Dog food, after all, is just dog food, right? Wrong, dog foods are not at all the same in quality, nutritional components and as a support to your pet’s immune system.

As a matter of fact, many commercial dog foods have chemicals and food derivatives which can be and are harmful to your pet’s health!

Think about this! If you go to the supermarket to buy food for your families’ dinner, you will buy the most wholesome, nutrient rich foods available, why?

Nutrition is the building block and foundation our bodies need for health and longevity.

Although the protein may all be labeled BEEF, all cuts and quality are not the same and cost vary depending on this quality.

Dog food is the invisible protein! You can look at all the labels which will indicate protein or meat and there is nothing included with the label to identify the quality or source from which the protein is derived. The USDA has allowed a very broad interpretation of what dog food manufactures can use as meat sources. To save cost, manufactures use meats which are not suitable for human consumption in our dog’s food. The old adage of, “If you knew what was in a hot dog, you wouldn’t eat one!” applies here.

Nature determines what your dog’s basic needs are. You should consider the balance of the food itself. A new trend is to sell designer foods for different stages of life. This is not necessary if each individual piece of kibble is perfectly formulated and works in balance with the next to ensure your dogs health, your dog will be able to take what it needs from the foods. Single source meat products do not meet the needs of a growing puppy nor the senior dog that needs to build and repair as they age simply because it lacks in all essential amino acids. Both ends of the age spectrum need the foods for the same exact reason, but, their body’s individual nutritional needs will determine what and how much to take from each feeding.

Give your new puppy or adult dog the best possible gift, the gift of health!

The food should contain several forms of protein such as proteins from chicken, fish and egg which are a complete chain of Amino Acid and digest easily.

The carbohydrates need to be complex and not simple sugars found in corn, corn meal and wheat which not produce allergies but also energy swings of highs and lows in behaviors.

There should be several Probotics for a balance and digest easily food, which is not only perfect for the nervous or shy dogs with nervous stomachs, but ensures all dogs are receiving the nutrition they need from food.

Life Abundance offers the best combination of food for all dogs concerned and can be found at http://www.healthydogfood.net

Nutrition and Your Dog’s Behavior
By Jeanne Perciaccanto - Ultimate Dog Training Nutrition and Your Dog’s Behavior

Proper nutrition is a fundamental basic for your dog.

It affects their health and longevity by offering an essential balance of proteins, fats, complex carbohydrates and the trace nutrients and minerals their bodies need for growth, repair and maintains of sound immune system.

Nutrition is a complex and integral part of your dog’s ability to think clearly, lower stress levels and a produce a calmer behavior.

Thinking takes a lot of energy. Dogs involved in a training program, expend tremendous mental energy focusing on the tasks presented to them. If your dog starts with minimal nutrition, they become lethargic, edgy or hyper active when asked to perform the simplest of tasks. They cannot focus and loss concentration after a short period of time or become confused. If the dog is continually asked to do something they cannot comprehend, confusion can lead to an aggressive form of acting out.

In training dogs, the first thing I look at is the dog’s diet. I work from the inside out. Training becomes ineffective if the underlying causes for the behaviors are not changed.

Hyper, unfocused and out of control dogs often are eating foods with high levels of cereal foods such as wheat, corn, and corn meal.

Aggressive dogs eat food containing higher levels of single source protein. Many of these proteins are incomplete chains of amino acids which do not offer proper building and repair of muscle fiber and cell tissue.

Shy and stressed dogs do not digest their foods well at all and often suffer from intestinal complications such as diarrhea. Their coats are often very dry and shed heavily.

One way to test the foods you are feeding is to soak the food in water for about 30 minutes. If it swells in size and becomes mushy, it is primarily cereal.

Are you dog’s stools often soft and loose or is the dog gassy? They are not digesting the food properly.

By looking at their food, you will do more to help balance their behavior, as well as, contribute to their health and longevity.

Life Abundance offers the best combination of food for all dogs concerned.

The proteins are complete and digest easily.

The carbohydrates are complex and do not turn into simple sugars producing energy swings of highs and low behaviors.

The Probotics in the food balance and digest more easily, which is not only perfect for the nervous or shy dogs, but ensures all dogs are receiving the nutrition they need from food.

For information on food search at http://www.healthydogfood.net

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