Persistence K9 Training Club

The Spruce Pets is a website all about all types of pets, and has a section dedicated to dogs. They have sections dedicated to puppy care, dog breeds, dog health, dog training and behavior problems. I typically spend my time in the dog training section of the website. I find their advice to be valid and helpful!   The site claims to have over 20 years of experience, and offers over 3000 articles on all types of pets. The writers of the posts are composed of a group of registered veterinary technicians, and is edited by a separate group of writers. They make many posts on many different subjects, but for our purposes, we will be discussing the posts in the dog training section. They even have a group of veterinarians who are able to provide extra insight and review the posts before they are posted to the website. This is why I respect the site so much, because I know the posts are reviewed by real veterinarians, and have gotten their seal of approval!  ...

I sat down with new dog owner, Rianna Spata, to ask some her some questions on what it has been like to bring a puppy home for the first time.   Q: What was it like finding out a new puppy was coming into your apartment? How did you react? A: I was very excited at first. I was nervous, as I had never had a dog in my entire life, however, my roommates and I made the decision together to bring a dog home. We were not even searching for a dog, my roommate sent a picture of a puppy at an adoption event, and I knew immediately that he was going to be my dog despite not even meeting him yet.   Q: How did the first couple of days go? Did you have any regrets? A: The first days were interesting to say the least. Obviously, we started in with potty training immediately, as he was only 12 weeks old. It felt very defeating because we did not yet know his signals, and it felt like we all had no idea what we were doing because we had no experience training ...

You may know the name Cesar Millan, and if you think it sounds familiar, you’re probably right. He is widely known for his tv series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. However, this guy is not just a tv personality, he is the real deal! Millan has 25 years of training experience, and is also a world-renowned dog behavior expert. Having a hard past, Millan overcame much adversity and has hosted 6 shows total, and additionally, 7 books. In addition to training, he has also done great work in rehabilitation.   Millan said, “My goal in rehabilitating dogs and training people is to create balanced relationships between humans and canines.” This aligns with one of his philosophies centered around “achieving balance and harmony.” In his books TV shows and he shares tips on training and rehabilitation of dogs. He even had ambassador dogs, his first and most famous, named Daddy, was an American Pit Bull Terrier.   Millan also opened up a Dog Phycology Center, a...

With the recent quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and opening back up of many states, you can expect to start to go back to work and school in the near future. This means that after nearly three months, your pup will be on their own for the first time in a while. We are going to discuss what to expect when this happens.   It is to be expected that some anxiety may arise from being home with you for the past few months. This will present itself through whining when you prepare to leave, and barking when you are gone. Other possibilities are accidents in the house, and chewing of furniture or other things.   Being prepared for this anxiety is the best way to combat it. And there are ways to build up to the big day you finally have to leave for an extended period of time. Utilizing your dog’s crate will be a great tool. You can begin by putting them in the crate for a few minutes at a time while you are in a separate room. You can gradually build...

When training a dog, especially on their leash and walking skills, having a specific type of collar may help. The collar we will be talking about today is the called the Martingale collar, and is made by many different brands, and can be found in all major petstores. This collar is designed to tighten up when pulled, not enough to choke your dog, but enough to make it uncomfortable. Additionally, it makes it hard for a dog to slip out of their collar.   Learning leash manners is hard for any dog, especially when there are so many exciting things to see and smell outside! This collar is designed to cinch to become tight, not tight enough to choke, but enough to cause your dog to be uncomfortable. This will teach your dog that pulling, makes them uncomfortable, and will train them not to pull. This will make walks and outings more enjoyable for both you and your pup!   Using this collar with puppies can be helpful as well, and as we know, puppies can h...

While I cannot speak on training an older rescue dog from experience, I have to believe it must be similar to a puppy. Every dog is different, and the so are the circumstances that brought them into a shelter environment. Understanding possible previous abuse, previous routines, and other factors are important when learning about your new family member, and how to best train them to be the best they can be!   I found an amazing post from another pet blog, The Spruce Pets, discussing how to train your rescue dog! Here is the link: https://www.thesprucepets.com/train-a-shelter-or-rescue-dog-1118219   Because I have no personal experience, I turned to this post for guidance. It offers fantastic insight into what it is like to rescue a dog from a shelter, what you should expect, and how to move forward.   If you read my last blog post on the importance of crate training, this blog presses the importance of it also, except in regards to older dog...

Getting a cute little puppy is a very exciting time, and spending time away from them can be hard. However, it is imperative for your puppy to have alone time in order to build their confidence and help fight separation anxiety. This is where the importance of crate training comes in! When someone tells me they are not going to be crate training I get extremely mixed emotions. It is such an important tool for training all ages of dogs, but especially puppies. I immediately want to educate them on the importance of crate training and the benefits that it brings! This includes assistance in potty training, confidence building, it helps combat separation anxiety, it can be used as a safe space for your pup, among many other things. After explaining all of these things, to be met with the comment, “I don’t want to lock my dog in a cage,” can feel very defeating. I think that as most things go, it is important to do your research before you do anything. Crate trai...