Good Books For New Puppies

Teresa from Alaska recently wrote to Happy Dog Land asking us to recommend training books to help with her two new adorable puppies (pictured below).

Emma with her new brother Sam.

Big sis Kaytie holding Bailey.

We asked two well respected and trusted Certified Pet Dog Trainers (CPDT) trainers Lynn Brezina and Jamie Damato for suggestions. Here is their list:

• Positive Puppy Training Works by Joel Walton
• Before and After Getting Your Puppy by Dr. Ian Dunbar
• Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell
• The Puppy Whisperer by Paul Owens

Of course, your home work along with a well recommended puppy class that teaches positive reinforcement rather than punishment-based training will start your new pup's life off on the right paw!

Ask Billy: Potty Training Follow Up

Abbie Bella with the grandson's pacifier.

We first met Abbie Bella in April when her mom Judy asked Billy for potty training advice. Abbie is now seven months old, has graduated from her first obedience class and been micro-chipped and spayed. Bravo Judy! Training your pooch, fixing your dog and giving her permanent identification is not only responsible, but will help keep her safe and healthy.

Judy has been following Billy's advice for about two months. Here's a progress report:

"Abbie was sleeping with me, but then she would get up all the time and I would have to get up to make sure she wasn’t tinkling or pooping on the carpet. I was losing a lot of sleep and couldn’t handle that. Since May 29, I have been putting Abbie in her crate in the bedroom right beside my bed, close to my pillow, where she can see me. First, we will get in the bed, cuddle and play awhile and then I will crate her for the night. Abbie now sleeps through the night without having to go out before 6am. On the weekends, we tend to sleep a little later, but she whines when she needs to go out. I take her out and then come back to bed for awhile and she usually goes back to sleep!"

Way to go Judy! Billy is a firm believer in crate training. Abbie is safe when she's in her crate. She's also learning to control herself because she wants to keep her personal space clean. Just be sure to race her outside as soon as you open the crate door. Praise her and give treats when she goes to the bathroom outside.

"I'm following Billy's advice and taking Abbie out right when I get in the door at home, after eating and on an hourly basis up to bedtime each night. Abbie's been getting the hang of potty training, but we did have two accidents this past weekend, both in the hall, but I am trying to "watch" her more and take her out more. It’s been a long time since I had a puppy to care for and I was used to my older dogs going and coming as they pleased out the doggie door."

Every time Abbie goes out the doggie door, give her a treat and make a big fuss with lots of praise and kisses. She'll learn that using the door brings all sorts of positive attention. Positive reinforcement is a wonderful thing!

Moreover, a few accidents is not bad -- potty training is a process that requires patience! Judy agrees and notes that it has been a long time since she had a puppy in the house. She writes, "I think Abbie will eventually understand, I just have to be patient while she is learning. She is a puppy and I am trying to think of her like the grandson as far as 'potty training' is concerned. He is learning too and still has accidents. Puppies are like children at least mine are."

Although Abbie's potty training is progressing well, Judy tells us that once Abbie's paws hit the carpet she sometimes has an accident. We're not sure exactly why carpet confuses Abbie. Perhaps, her super-powered canine nose is able to detect smells or urine lingering in the carpet from other dogs. There's a chance that when she was a new pup her cage was lined with a piece of carpet, a mat or a towel and she's used to the sensation on her feet. The fact that she has been recently spayed could be the reason. The spaying procedure removes the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus. Occasionally a dog will suffer a potty training setback after this type of major surgery. (Here's an informative article about the spaying process.)

Judy, no matter the reason for a setback, keep trying and continue your routine--you're doing a fabulous job! Don't get frustrated and stock up on Petastic, our favorite stain and odor remover. Your patience and care will help Abbie become house trained quickly and let her know how much you love her!

Tell Abbie we're proud of her progress and give her a hug from her friends in Happy Dog Land!

If you need advice or have a question about dog care, send it to Billy at info@happydogland.com. We'll post the answer here. Please include a photo of your pooch so we can show him/her off to everyone in Happy Dog Land.

Light, Camera, Action! So You Think Fido Has What It Takes To Be A Star

Through the miracle of the Internet we recently met Traci Murdock, a certified professional dog trainer. Traci, shown here with her pooch Cyan during a recent appearance on Good Morning Texas, works in Carrollton, Texas. Traci trains dogs for sports such as agility, obedience, flyball and rally. She is well known for her "Hollywood Dog Classes," which teach people how to break their dog into Show Biz. Traci also works as a Talent Scout and Wrangler on the sets of commercials and other places where canine actors work. Traci actively volunteers with shelters and rescue groups. Traci is our guest blogger today.

So without further ado, take it away Traci!

Is your dog just waiting to be discovered? Are you convinced he’s cuter, smarter, and more talented then all those dogs you see in the movies or in ads?

I was convinced that my dogs would be perfect for Show Biz! After all, they are Cattle Dog and Border Collie types and I knew they needed a “job.” Since I’m an experienced dog trainer, I thought this won’t be hard at all. Moreover, I already had a head start since my dogs’ training adventures began as soon as they came home with me. In order to compete in dog sports, they had to learn to focus on me and the job and learn to love tricks and playing the game with me.

I started researching and contacting agents and sending out portfolios. Then, we got our first callback from an agent and the client choose US! And that, of course, was when the adventure really began.

Although I had a better idea of what to expect than most first-timers because of my training and photography background, it was still overwhelming. There are so many things to remember, people to please, and expectations to meet in a very compressed time frame. If you don't meet expectations then you won’t get another chance -- no one can afford to spend the money if you and your pooch aren’t a “sure thing.”

As I worked with my dogs and began working as a Talent Scout and Wrangler, I began to assemble a list of things that a dog and owner needed to know in order to succeed in The Biz. This list was the basis for the creation of my Hollywood Dog class.

Here's what you need to know:

Learn clicker training. Although the concepts and skills needed can be taught in other ways, I prefer clicker training or marker-based training. I've found that this is the surest way to get the behavior on cue in the shortest time period. When casting a job, the director provides an outline of the skills and behaviors that will be needed. The outline is often incomplete or changed on the fly during the shoot. If you and your dog can use a clicker, you can quickly and positively train a new behavior on set. You never want to have to say that your dog can’t do what's needed. (ed: For those of you not familiar with dog training techniques, a clicker is a hand-held device that makes a "clicking" sound, which tells the dog that his behavior is correct or that he is doing the right thing.)

Learn commonly requested skills and tricks, and know how to improvise if you get a new request. Every dog must know sit, down, stand and stay. The dog should be able to be a "Gumby" and stay in whatever position he's put in until formally released. I also teach students how to send their dogs to a mark to perform, how to get the dogs used to working for others and in scary and unfamiliar places and how to build new tricks from known commands.

Practice under real conditions. We practice everything at a distance, since the owner will be behind the camera. In addition canine actors have to ignore many distractions on set, such as anxious humans, screaming kids, other dogs in weird situations, and new and scary objects and products. Your dog may even have to perform with a camera flash popping every couple of seconds.

Once your dog is ready, research the talent agents in your area and have your dog photographed. Every actor, even the four-legged type requires a head shot.

For more information about Traci, her classes or to learn how to make your dog a star, contact Traci here or give her a ring at The Training Spot: 214-878-2230.

One very well trained pooch!

One of our Happy Dog Land readers sent us this link to a very well trained Australian Shepherd. We were relieved that the owner also taught his dog how to save energy by closing the fridge door.

If only we could teach Zeke or Shadow how to type....