Allow some time...

My foster parents were very understanding of my shortcomings. I was afraid of so many things when I arrived at their house (now it is my forever home and they are truly my parents). Sometimes Mama still tells me that I am a "pitiful" pitbull because of my fears. I was petrified of cars and many other things. Listed below are a few things that scared me but not anymore!

• cars (Mama thinks that my tail was caught in a car door and that is how it was broken)
• walking near traffic (I would not go up to the main road for a long time)
• belly rubs (I didn't trust anyone massaging me)
• cuddles (I am still not the cuddler that Sierra was but I am much better)
• kisses (I now love kisses and look forward to them all the time)
• voicing my opinions; I was very quiet (it didn't' take long for me to find my voice though and now they tell me to stop barking)

Woof, woof, till later, 

Zoey

Train your dog to look at you

Reprinted on March 9, 2016

By Josh Weiss-Roessler

Training is a necessary and important part of having a dog. Besides housebreaking, training your dog to look at you may be the most important lesson to teach her. It can not only be immensely helpful at home and out in public, but also important for your dog’s safety.

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If you can get your dog to focus on you instead of everything else going on around him, it will be easier to communicate with him and teach him other commands — not to mention getting him to ignore that taunting squirrel, far-off bark, or daily visit from the mailman. In addition, that look is also helping to build your relationship with your dog.

It’s not enough, however, for your dog to just randomly look at you. You want her to look at you when you ask. Dogs learn by eye contact, body language, and finally through a voice command, so incorporating all three will quickly help your dog learn to look at you.

Follow these steps to get your dog to look at you on cue.

1. Choose a word or phrase that will mean “look at me”
We want our dog to develop an association to whatever word or phrase you choose to mean “look at me.” It could be as easy as the word “look,” “look at me,” your dog’s name, or even something random like “monkey.” Whatever word or phrase you choose, make sure you’re not using it for a different command. For example, don’t use the word “sit” to get your dog to look. That will only confuse her.

2. Stand or sit facing your dog
When you’re first starting out, the closer you are to your dog, the quicker he will learn a command. Once he masters the command at a close distance, you can then start adding space between you two and continue to practice it. Eventually you should even be able to get to the point where he will obey when you’re on the other side of the room.

3.  Practice the command with your dog
While you’re standing or sitting in front of her, look at your dog and then say your cue word while holding a treat close to your eyes. By holding the treat in front of your eyes, you are encouraging your dog to look there — setting her up for success. As soon as she looks at you, maintain eye contact briefly so she knows that’s what you want, and then reward her with the treat. When your dog gets a treat for looking at you after hearing your specific word, she will obey in hopes of getting a treat every time.

4. Add in a hand signal
After your dog does a good job with the treat reward, you will want to start working in a hand signal to continue making him obey. At the same time, you’ll want to start phasing out the treat reward. You want him to be able to respond to you instead of food every time. When you add a hand signal, continue to say your cue word as you hold your index finger in front of your eyes, indicating that’s where you want your dog to look. After he correctly looks at you using the spoken cue and hand signal, you will reward him with a treat.

5.  Practice everywhere
After your dog is able to get the hang of looking at you in the comfort of your home, you will want to continue your practice in different places and situations to make sure she can obey no matter what. Practice in your front yard or driveway, after a walk, at the park, and anywhere you and your pup might go. Also practice by putting a treat or toy on the floor and getting her to look at you first before giving her the okay to grab the toy or treat.

The more you practice, the more your dog will master the command, at which point you can start transitioning away from the treat reward. After some time, she won’t need the treat anymore because she knows her command to look at you!

Training your dog isn’t difficult, but it does take some time and effort. As long as you’re willing to put in the work, your dog will be better behaved, which will make both of you happy.

Here are a few more training tips that you should remember when teaching your dog something new:

• Reward spontaneous responses
  If your dog looks at you without being asked, make sure you reward that behavior. The more you reinforce the positive behavior, the quicker your dog will learn and obey.

• Take a break if your dog is tired
  Your dog will get tired if you try to practice a single command endlessly. If your dog stops responding or seems tired, take a break and pick it up some other time. Ten to fifteen minutes a day is more than enough.

• Never yell at your dog or punish him for not obeying
  Try again, and if that doesn’t work, take a break and see if there’s anything you can do better next time.

FOUR TIPS FOR CHOOSING EDIBLE DOG CHEWS

From FB--Feb 15, 2016

We all want the best for our dogs and that starts with what they eat.

Dogs love to chew, and if you don’t give them an edible alternative, they may just end up with your favorite slipper in their mouth. Many dog owners are starting to turn to all natural chew options, but with such a seemingly endless number of choices available in the dog treat aisle, it can be overwhelming to make a decision. The next time you’re looking for a chew for your dog, keep these four tips in mind.

1. Read the label and the fine print.

Rule number one about healthy, edible chews is that less is more. Make sure to read the ingredient label and fine print so you know exactly what is going into your dog’s mouth. Ideally, you want chews that have only one ingredient – everything else is just filler.Also look for products that are sourced and made in the United States. These two indicators let you know that the chews are of the highest quality. Legally, pet food manufacturers can claim “made in the U.S.” if the product is packaged in the U.S. However, the raw materials may come from other areas of the world. 

When shopping for the perfect treat it is important to look for products made from ingredients that originate in the U.S.

2. Look over the product itself

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When choosing a chew, pick it up and closely examine the look and feel of the product. Does the pork or beef ear you’re considering look like a real ear, or does it look like something that was pressed in a mold to be shaped like an ear? Some beef and pork ears are made from other parts of the animal, such as skin or chin, then formed into the shape of an ear.Truly natural treats, like those made by First Companion®, offer 100 percent real beef ears and pork ears, so you won’t see any artificial colors or flavoring.

3. Seek out individually packaged chews.

Think about the treats you purchase today. Do they come wrapped in a sealed package, or do you find them unwrapped and sitting on a shelf or in a dump bin? It’s easy for bugs, bacteria and other harmful organisms to make their way into poorly packaged dog chews, which is why it’s important to seek out chews that are shrink wrapped or packaged in resealable bags. Better yet are chews that are individually wrapped in clear packaging. The best chews for your dog shouldn’t have anything to hide.

4. Choose a chew that is appropriate for your dog's life stage.

Something to keep in mind when selecting a chew for your dog is your dog’s age. Puppies love chews that help ease the discomfort of teething, so a chew like a First Companion beef pizzle is perfect for them. In addition to helping with teething, beef pizzles help with dental hygiene.As dogs age, they encounter more and more dental issues, so it’s important to find chews that are on the softer side. Beef tracheas, like those available from First Companion, come from softer tissue, so they’re easier for your dog to chew.

Choosing a natural chew for your dog doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. Follow these four steps and your dog will be thanking you– and so will your slippers.



Mama rarely gives me rawhide to chew. I know I have a big rawhide bone in the picture, which I enjoyed immensely, but that big sucker was a gift. I haven't had one since. I certainly am not deprived. Mama gives me a good share of chew bones and treats. 

Woof, woof, till later, 

Zoey

How dog memory works

Zoey Elizabeth

Text from Cesar's Way

By Josh Weiss-Roessler

You know that your dog remembers who you are because she greets you with such excitement every day when you get home from work.

But what about other things? Does your dog remember the walk you took her on yesterday? Or what about the bone you gave her last night?

Unfortunately, dogs don’t have much of a short-term memory. In fact, a Swedish study found that dogs forget something within two minutes of it happening. So that tasty treat you gave your dog an hour ago? He doesn’t remember it. He also doesn't remember this morning's walk and the bone from the other day.

But your dog does have the ability to remember things — he just does it in a different way.

Types of memory 

Humans retain vivid personal memories due to our episodic memory. Episodic memory allows us to remember things that have happened to us at specific times and places throughout our life. Our episodic memory lets us travel back in time — figuratively, in our mind — and remember an event.

Dogs, on the other hand, don’t have an episodic memory. Instead, they have an associative memory. With an associative memory, dogs remember things based on their associations as opposed to their actual memories.

Let’s look at an example. 

The magic hat and the menacing vacuum

If you regularly put on your favorite baseball cap before you take your dog to the park, your dog will get excited any time you take out that hat. The dog associates the hat with going to the park. This association will last unless you create a new association with the cap.

If you planned to take your dog to the park and you didn’t pull out the cap, or his leash, or something that reminds him of going to the park, then your dog probably won’t be that excited.

Dogs can also have negative associations. What happens when you take out the vacuum to clean your house? Your dog may run away scared.

The first time your dog encountered the vacuum, she probably sniffed it, curious about the strange item. However, once you turned the vacuum on, the incredibly loud sound most likely frightened your pup and caused her to panic and get as far away from the vacuum as possible. Your dog will always be scared of the vacuum due to her association of the vacuum with loud, scary noises — unless, of course, you take steps to create new positive associations.

Dogs and other animals have this type of memory because it helps them to survive in the wild. The first time an animal attempts to eat a porcupine for food will also be the last time after they get poked with quills. Animals will remember that danger and look for another food source next time. These types of associations are necessary to their survival.

Change the association
We can also attempt to change these associations if we need to. Maybe your dog used to love riding in the car until one day she had a bad experience at the vet. Now your dog is reluctant to get in the car and go anywhere.

If you can change the association with the car to something happier, then your dog might not be so scared anymore. One common method for dealing with a car-phobic dog is to get in the back seat with the dog and her favorite toy, without the car being on, then spending time playing with her. Repeat this for five to ten minutes at a time until she seems to be over her reluctance to hop in, then go for a drive to some place she likes, such as her favorite dog park.

But remember, the stronger the association, the harder it will be to change it.

That’s why Cesar’s philosophy of “living in the moment” is so important for our dogs and for us. Dogs don’t hold onto the past. As we’ve just learned, they quickly forget what just happened to them a few minutes ago. There’s no reason to live anywhere but the present!