Dog Training Revolution The Complete Guide to Raising the Perfect Pet with Love ( PDFDrive ) PDF

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o establish a control environment and to implement internal control policies and procedures designed to ensure, the detection and prevention of fraud and error ➢ Individuals charged with governance to ensure the integrity of an entity’s accounting and financial reporting systems and that appropriate...

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Toallthepeoplewhohavesupported theDogTrainingRevolutionandhelpedraise thestandardsforhowweteachdogs. Thisrevolutionexistsbecauseofyou.Thankyou.

CONTENTS

Cover TitlePage Copyright Dedication

Acknowledgments Introduction CHAPTERONE

Decisions,Decisions:ChoosingtheRightDogforYou CHAPTERTWO

BeforeYourDogComesHome:EverythingYouNeedtoPrepareforYourPet’s Arrival CHAPTERTHREE

WelcometotheFamily:StepsforaSmoothTransition CHAPTERFOUR

DogTrainingRevolution:TheKeyPrinciples CHAPTERFIVE

Housetraining101:TheFiveBasicRules CHAPTERSIX

BasicTraining:TheFundamentalSkillsEveryDogNeedstoKnow

CHAPTERSEVEN

HowtoTroubleshoottheMostCommonBehaviorProblems:Barking,Chewing LeashPulling,PuppyBiting,Aggression,JumpingUp,andMore CHAPTEREIGHT

InSicknessandinHealth:BasicCareforYourDog CHAPTERNINE

TimeforFun:CoolTricks,Traveling,Exercise,andMore Conclusion Endnotes AbouttheAuthors

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My coauthor, Dina, and I have many people to thank. First, our enormou gratitude to our literary agent, Al Zuckerman, for championing this book from day one.Yourguidance,knowledge, andunwavering supportare invaluableto us. We also thank our editor, Lisa Westmoreland, for your enthusiasm an dedicationtoourbook.Muchgratitudetoyou,KaraPlikaitis,andtherestofthe teamatTenSpeedPressforyourhardwork. WethankDr.RuddNelson,Dr.BruceTannenbaum,andDr.MeghanHerron forgraciouslyofferingyourexpertise.Also,ahugethankstoLeslieNelsonfo helpingwiththisbookeverystepofthewayandtoLisaPansiniforsharingyou creativityandvision.

FromZak Iwanttothankmydadforhisunwavering,lifelongsupportbothpersonallyand professionally. He is one of the most positive, loving people I’ve ever known andIwouldn’thavebeenabletoaccomplishasmuchasIhavewithouthim.My momdeservesatremendousamountofrecognitionforalwaysencouragingme todomybest.Herdriveanddeterminationtomaketheworldabetterplaceare contagious.Iloveyoubothverymuch. My girlfriend, Bree, the love of my life, has been one of my bigges inspirations and so supportive over the last several years. I look forward to brightfuture withyou, Brianna.The DogTraining Revolutionwouldn’t bethe samewithoutyou. Mydogs,Venus,Supernova,andAlphaCentauri,havetaughtmemuchmore than I could ever teach them. I especially want to acknowledge Venus. Som people are fortunate to meet that once-in-a-lifetime dog; however, you rarely meetonewhocompletelychangesthetrajectoryofyourlife.Forme,thatdogi Venus.Shetrulyismysuperstar. ForyearsI’vewantedtodothisbook,butIknewthatitwouldbetoohugeo anundertaking.Thankyou,Dina,mycoauthor,forbeingsodeterminedandfo sharing the same vision to enlighten everyday dog lovers to understand thei dogs more deeply than ever before. If it weren’t for you, this book would no

exist. I will be eternally grateful for your dedication to the Dog Training Revolution.

FromDina Iwouldliketothankmyparentsforyourconstantsupportandlove.Thankyou fornurturingmyloveforanimalssomanyyearsago. Icouldneveradequatelyexpressmydeepappreciationformyhusband,Larry Youarealwaysthereforme,readytoreadoverachapter,helpinapinchwhen I’m on deadline, and provide technical assistance or words of encouragement Yourstrength,wisdom,andsenseofhumorcanhelpmegetthroughanything. loveyouverymuch. Thankyoutoourchildren,SamanthaandZachary,whomakemeproudevery day.Youalwaysknowjusthowtoputasmileonmyface.Youarealsobothso supportiveofmywork,andthatmeanstheworldtome.Ihopeyouknowtha youaremygreatestaccomplishments.Iadmireandadoreyouboth. Zak,ithasbeensuchfunandatruepleasuretowritethisbookwithyou.You aresopassionateabouthelpingguidethedogtrainingindustrytowardmethods thatare not only the most effectivebut also ethical, kind, and science-based. am honored to help you spread your important message. You are making th worldabetterplaceforthesebelovedanimals.Thankyouforeverything. Lastly,Iwanttothankmymuses,BaxterandBrody,whosatbymyfeetas cowrote this book. You provide my family with affection, friendship unconditionallove,andplentyoflaughs.Thetwoofyou,alongwithChampand Barkley,haveenrichedmylifemorethanyou’lleverknow.(Yes,youtoo,Kitty Cupcake.)

INTRODUCTION Fewthingsinthisworldaremoreexcitingandmorememorablethanwelcoming a new dog into your life. The journey goes far beyond simply having companionbyyourside.Dogshavemuchtoteachus:Theyalwaysliveinthe moment.They’reneverspiteful,andtheydon’tholdgrudges.Also,there’sjus somethingabout dogs’ loyalty and unconditional love that makes people crazy aboutthem. That’snottosaythatbringingadoghomedoesn’tcomewithitschallenges Youhavealottoteachyournewpetsothatyoucanliveinharmonyandhave long,rewardingrelationship.Whetheryouarereadingthisbookbecauseyou’ve justgottenadogorbecauseyouwantsomefreshperspectiveonraisingtheone youalreadyhave,Ipromiseyouthatyouhavecometotherightplace. Like many people, I have always adored dogs. I grew up with an adorabl terriermixnamedRaisin,andIlearnedthatdogsareindependent-mindedbeings whohaveagreatcapacityforlove. As I got older, my love for dogs continued to grow. I was absolutely fascinatedbythem—I’dwatchdogFrisbeecompetitionsonTVandwasblown awaybytheirflips,leaps,andothertricks.Ijustcouldn’twrapmyheadaround theideathatadogandapersoncouldcommunicatesowell,andIreallywanted toexperiencethat.Soinmytwenties,Idecideditwastimetoraiseadogonmy own. Little did I know that my life was about to take a turn from average t amazing:that’swhenIgotVenus. VenusisaBorderCollie,andfromtheminuteImetherIwassoimpressedby herintelligence.Ispentalotoftimetrainingherandalwaysmadeitfun.Inturn webecamecompletelyintunewitheachother,andsheseemedasobsessedwith learningasIwaswithteaching.Ifoundthattherewasvirtuallynolimittowha shecoulddo.Injustafewdays,shelearnedhowtofakealimpbywalkingon three legs—total Hollywood style, really convincing. Then there’s my favorit trick I call “Superstar”—I’d lie on my back and Venus would balance on he hindlegsontopofthesolesofmyfeet.Next,I’dthrowFrisbeestoher,oneafte theother.She’dcatcheveryonewhilemaintainingherbalance!However,while

IknowpartofhersuccesswasduetotheamountoftimeIdedicatedtoher,i wasourbondthatplayedanevenbiggerrole.Venusshowedmethatwhenyou prioritizeyourrelationshipwithyourdog,theteachingprocessbecomeseasy. WhenVenuswasabouttenmonthsold,Idecidedtodropmyrealestatecaree andfigureouthowIcouldsomehowmakealivingwhileteachingher.Ofcourse this job didn’t exist, but I found something surprisingly close. By this point Venus had won her first three Frisbee competitions, and I found out that PetSmartnearmyhousewaslookingforadogtrainer.Ischeduledaninterview andbroughtVenusandourthreetrophiesasmyresumé.VenusandIperformed fortheinterviewer.Iwashiredonthespot. I enjoyed my time at PetSmart over the next few years—it gave me tons o experience. After that, I continued training and, in total, taught thousands o dogsandtheirfamilies.Iworkedwithalldifferentbreedsandmixedbreedsand handledvirtuallyeverybehavioralissueyoucanimagine.Ialsoaddedtwomore Border Collies to my family—Alpha Centauri and Supernova—and eventually took a job with Stunt Dog Productions, performing with my three dog nationwide.In2006,IalsolaunchedmyYouTubechannel,nowknownasZak George’s Dog Training Revolution, posting videos on how to teach dog everything from “roll over” to how to stop them from jumping up. I quickly acquiredmoresubscribersthananyotherdogtraineronYouTube,astatustha holds today. Eventually, my success led to my starring on my first TV show Animal Planet’s SuperFetch, on which I taught average people how to teach theirdogsawesometricks.Later,IproducedandstarredonaBBCshowcalled WhoLettheDogsOut?,atalentsearchforBritain’sbestyoungdogtrainers. Throughoutallofthisexperience,Ishowedpeoplethatbylearningtoconnec with their dogs and have fun with them, they could teach them extraordinary things.However,Iwasalsoshockedbythescaryamountofmisinformationin thedogtrainingworld.Iheardalotoftalkabouthowwehavetobeourdogs packleadersandthatweneedtodominatethem;otherwisetheywillattemptto bethe“alpha.” Isawvery well-knowntraditionaltrainerstell peoplethatdogs are essentially wolves at heart and should be treated as such, even though th actualsciencetellsaverydifferentstory.Dogsdiddescendfromancientwolves butthis next point is critical:for thousands of years, humans have specifically bred dogs for different skills, such as herding, retrieving, or simply fo companionship. In other words, dogs have been bred to interact with people Cateringtothewolfancestryratherthanacknowledgingthisselectivebreeding ignoreswhy themodern dog evenexists, andany trainingmethod that teache

basedonthisold-fashionedlineofthinkingisfundamentallyflawed. Unfortunately, traditional dog training, which relies heavily on dominance theory,oftenmeanspunishment-basedtraining.Peoplearetoldtouseforceand intimidationtoteachtheirdogstobesubmissive.Thishasalwaysbotheredme notjustbecauseitcanbeveryunpleasantforthedog,butalsobecauseitfocuse on makingdogsactacertainwayratherthanencouragingthemto wanttodoso Forinstance,toolsdesignedtocausediscomforttodogsinthenameofteaching are commonplace today. I know that many of you reading this may hav purchasedthesedevices—suchasmetalcollars,chokechains,andprongcollar —in the past, but I also understand that you likely bought them under th advisementof an expert you trusted. I will offer you a betteroption—one tha will teach your dog faster without the use of these tools or other harsh corrections,whichdonothingtopromoteabondbetweenapersonandadog. My mission has become clear: to give people an alternative to the shallow olderwaysof trainingdogs.I, alongwith otherlike-mindeddog professionals havesetouttohelpraisethestandardsindogtrainingandshowpeoplethatonly through heartfelt communication, not domination, can they expect incredible results.AndI’vebeenoverwhelmedbytheresponse:today,overadecadeinto my career, I see more people embracing positive training methods than eve before. Meanwhile, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, th Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and countless professionals hav come out against dominance theory, saying that it hinders training, harm relationships between humans and dogs, and actually can cause behaviora problems.1 I am proud that we all have helped to disrupt an industry heade down the wrong path. Together, we have truly been part of a Dog Trainin Revolution. Nowthisbookwillhelpyoubecomeapartofit,asitwillteachyounotonly the most humane training techniques but also the most effective. It also take intoaccountthatalldogsaredifferentandwillshowyouhowtoteachyourdog I’llhelpyoueverystepoftheway.I’llwalkyouthrougheverythingyouneedto know—frompickingoutyourdogandhousetrainingtofeeding,basictraining socialization,grooming,andhealthissues.Thisbookincludesashoppinglist,a guidetodog-proofingyourhome,whattodoincaseofanemergency,andothe checklists. I’ll also help troubleshoot common behavioral problems, such a excessivebarking,chewing,nipping,andjumping,andevenofferadviceonthe extrafunstuff,suchastraveling,exercisingwithyourdog,andcooltricks.And

mostimportant,everybitofadviceIgiveworkstowardbuildingsuchastrong bondbetweenyouandyourdogthatyou’llbeastoundedbywhatyoucantrain her to do. After all, the person who can best train your dog is the person who knowsherbest—andthat’syou.Myjobissimplytoshowyouhow. Thinkofthisbookasyourtrustygo-toguide.Keepitsomewherehandy.Read it straight through or take a chapter at a time. Afterward, you can search th indexfortopicsyouneedhelpwithastheyarise.

LOOKOUTFORTHISSYMBOL UsemyYouTubevideosasvivid illustrationsalongtheway—lookoutfor the play-button icon that will let you know which topics have corresponding companionvideos.Thenheadovertomywebsiteatwww.dogtrainingrevolution com,whereI’lllinktothosevideosinorderbychapter. You’redoingawonderfulthingbywelcomingadogintoyourhome.Nowge readytolearnwhatyoucandotosetthestageforwhatcanbeoneofthemos loving,fulfillingrelationshipsyou’lleverhave.

CHAPTERONE

DECISIONS,DECISIONS:CHOOSINGTHERIGHTDOGFOR YOU Sure,thereareplentyofpeoplewhowanderintoapetstoreorshelter,fallmadly in love with an adorable puppy, and bring him home that day. However, it’ alwaysimportanttoremember thatchoosinga dogisa hugecommitment,one thatcanlastforfifteenyearsormore.It’scrucialtodoyourhomework. Fartoomanypeopledecidetogetadogonawhim,andtheywinduphaving togivetheirpetawayaftertheyrealizetheyjustcan’thandletheresponsibility Sadly,thesepreciousanimalsoftenwindupinanimalshelterswhere,according totheAmericanSocietyforthePreventionofCrueltytoAnimals(ASPCA),1.2 milliondogsareeuthanizedeachyear.1Manyotherswind uplivingmonthso yearsincages,waitingforsomeonetoadoptthem. We can avoid this, and the key is knowing what to expect before you get a dog. While bringing one into your family can be one of life’s most joyou experiences, it also requires a lot of time, patience, consistency, and love Puppies or older dogs who have not had significant training require severa weeks just for you to start establishing basic communication with them. Afte thatcomemonthsoftraining.Ifyouareconsideringgettingadog,thischapte willhelpyoudeterminewhetherthat’sthebestdecisionforyourightnow.Then if it is, it’s a matter of finding the right dog for your lifestyle so that you ca meet your pet’s needs and help him fit seamlessly into your family. Let’s ge started!

THEMOSTIMPORTANTCONSIDERATIONS Whenthinkingaboutgettingadog,remembertheyallneedthefollowingthings

Time Dogs are highly intelligent, social creatures who require mental and physica stimulation every day. Moderate-to high-energy dogs need considerable exercise,suchasalongrunoranextendedgameoffetch.Caringforanewdog and training him requires a lot of time; you can’t cut corners and expect th resultsyouwant.Soifyouworkeightyhoursaweekandareneverhome,don’ get a dog unless either you have a trusted relative or friend who will care fo yourpetoryou’repreparedtohireadogwalkeronaregularbasis.Also,ifyou like to be out and about all weekend and don’t want the “hassle” of having to come home throughout the day to walk a dog, you might want to reconside gettingone. Preparetospendtwentyminutestoonehouradayoftrainingandexercisea leastfivedaysaweekforthefirstsixmonthstoayear.Don’tworry,itdoesn’ takethatlongtoteachthefundamentals;wecandothatinlessthantwomonths However, if you dedicate that extra time to training, then you can expec spectacularresults.Ourdogscanbewithusforalongtime,sowhynotputin extra time up front so you’ll have an incredibly well-behaved dog for years to come?

Patience It’simportanttosetyourexpectations:Yournewdog willmakemistakesanddo thingsyou’renothappyabout.Hemayplaybiteformonths,andpottyaccident in the house are almost inevitable. Dogs can be noisy and messy, and the certainlywon’tpickupthetoystheyleavearoundthehouse.Ifyou’regettinga dog,you’vegottobewillingtogetintothemind-setthatthisisallnormaland remember there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Make the commitment righ nowtoprioritizepatience.The ironyaboutteaching dogsisthatthe fasteryou try to get results, the slower your progress will be. Take your time and you’l achievesuccesssooner.

Costs Peopleoftenunderestimatethecostsoftakingcareofadog.There’stheinitia expense—which can range from a minimal donation at a shelter to $2,000 o more for a puppy that comes from a pet store or breeder. However, the cost don’tendthereandwillvarygreatlydependingonthesizeandageofyourdog hisgroomingneeds,whereyoulive,andpersonalchoice.

Atfirst,therearethebasicsupplies,rangingfromacollarandleashtoacrate andfood,aveterinariancheckup,andpossiblyneuteringorspaying.You’llhave annual expenses such as food, vet visits and medications, toys, and supplies Billscanalso skyrocketfor thosepeople whohire professionaldogwalkers o groomersonaregularbasis,dogsittersforwhentheytravel,ortrainers.Lastly there are those unexpected expenses—say, when your dog eats a pair o underwearandhastohaveitsurgicallyremoved(areasontoconsiderpethealth insurance;seethispage,chapter2).Bottomline:Whetheryoupayaheftysum foradogorgetoneforfreefromafriend,thecostofcaringforonecanrange fromabout$1,000ayeartotentimesthat.

LIFESTYLEISSUES Once you’ve determined whether you have the time, patience, and financia meanstocareforadog,thinkaboutthefollowingquestions.

WhereDoYouLive? Manyapartmentsbuildingsdon’tallowdogs;othercommunitiesrestrictcertain breeds or set weight limits for dogs. Make sure you ask your landlord o homeowners’ association which rules apply to you. Also, look at you environment and determine whether your dog’s exercise needs can be met—i you live in a small apartment in a city, you may want to reconsider getting large,high-energydogwhorequireslotsofexerciseandspacetorunaroundin Of course, there are exceptions (a determined new pet parent can find a way) butit’simportanttothinkthisthroughinadvance.

DoYouHaveChildren? Bringingadogintoyourhomecanbeoneofthebestthingsyoueverdoforyou children—itteachesthemhowtocareforanotherbeingandalsoprovidesthem withthemostloyal,lovingfriend.However,takeintoaccountyourchild’sage andpersonalityaswellasthesize,age,andtemperamentofthedog.Youdon’ wanta situation where eithermigh...