TRAINING TIPS 

• Food Feeding Tips by Rebecca Prescott
• Medications: How to give them to your pet (video)
• Socialize Your Puppy by Jonathan Cheong
• Stop Your Rescued Dog from Biting, Nipping and Growling by Bob Hunsicker
• TLC's Tips and Tricks - our blog of quick tips and products we've found that actually work!
   
• Introducing your new adopted dog to a current one in your family: There is a natural order of hierarchy in any canine pack.  The one who arrived first assumes the dominant (alpha) role and any other dogs arriving later can cause disharmony not only in the canine pack, but eventually in your family as well if a few simple rules are not followed.  The best way to head off any potential problems is to always recognize the alpha first - feed him first, play with him more and give him the attention he is asking for.  For example, if you are petting your new adopted dog and your resident alpha comes along for some TLC, turn your attention to your resident alpha and ignore your new adopted dog immediately.  Don't fuss at your alpha dog for his request for attention - this will demonstrate to him that he has been replaced as the alpha by the new arrival already.  As soon as your alpha is secure in his status, he will stop challenging the 'lay of the land' and you will find he accepts the new adopted dog much more readily.  If your new adopted dog is a dominant one by nature, don't allow him to 'upseat' your current resident alpha dog because this will eventually demonstrate to him that you allow aggression in the canine pack.  If you find an uneasiness exists between your resident alpha and newly adopted dog, an Xpen works wonders by instilling harmony in your household, especially if there is a vast amount of differences in sizes between your resident alpha and the new arrival.  The Xpen allows each to see and smell each other, but stops any physical aggression towards each other.  If you see this demonstrated through the Xpen, you (as the primary alpha) should immediately address it with BOTH dogs to establish that above all, YOU are the supreme alpha.  Dogs live in the moment, but they need rules, boundaries and limitations to be self-assured and confident in their environments.
   
• NEVER EVER leave a young child alone with a dog (newly adopted or otherwise): The majority of dog bites and attacks are with children under the age of twelve.  Many maulings and fatalities have occurred with infants left alone with a dog and regardless of the duration the owner has had the dog, or the amount of time an infant has been raised around a dog.  Children by nature move quick and have higher piercing tones in their vocalizations, very similar to hurt prey animals.  You are asking the dog to go against his inbred nature of thousands of years, regardless of how well you feel he is trained or how much you trust him.  Even if just for a few seconds, secure the dog or the infant - never let both unsecured together at any time.  Young toddlers can't tell the difference between a dog toy and one of their own.  And engaged in play, any young child can potentially fall on a dog, pull an ear when the dog least expects it or disturb them when sleeping.  All of these are triggers for a dog bite.  It takes but a second to secure a dog, infant or child - the ramifications of you not doing this can (and has been) fatal.  This holds true whether this is a newly adopted dog you have no background on - or a dog you have raised since a puppy around your children.
   
• Find your dog's 'hot spot': Dogs are always motivated by something - food, treats, rewards, praise, etc.  Once you know the hot spot, use it for training purposes and be consistent.  Depending on the dog breed, they generally learn a new behavior with three to six repetitions of the command and the reward for following the command.  Once the pattern is established, it must be repeated each day for the same amount of times until your dog 'gets' it... with some dogs and a deep love to please, a new behavior can be established in just a few days by this method.  Find (and use) a command that signals to the dog an immediate response of following your command or good behavior (i.e. 'GOOD JOB!', 'Atta boy', etc.).  Response to your use of motivation by determining your dog's hot spot all depends upon your consistency and ability to 'not take it personally' when they fail to understand what you want immediately.
   
• Ya da, ya da, ya da:  It has been established that most dogs have an understanding of the human language to the limitation of about a hundred words.  Be aware of the words you are using for commands and how frequently you use them in every day communication towards the dog and in conversations with others.  Example, you might be saying, "I know Mary is your friend, but I'm not buying any more Girl Scout cookies from her right now."   What your dog is probably hearing translates to this;  "Ya da NO ya da ya da COOKIES ya da".   This is another reason to name your dog with an unique name not common in every day conversation... hearing his name should get his immediate attention and if you are using frequently, it dulls the impact.
   
• The eyes have it:  It has been proven that dogs read our body language a hundred times better than we do theirs.  They particularly pay attention to the amount of white we show in our eyes and the amount of teeth we show, for this is part of 'dog speak.'  If you find your dog is not paying enough attention to the commands you give, practice them in front of a mirror and observe how much 'dog speak' you are doing (or how little).  When outside, be aware that dogs cannot 'read' our eyes while wearing sunglasses or shade our eyes with a baseball cap or visor.  Unless your dog is a sighthound, the range of his vision is between 10 to 15 feet for finite details such as this.