Friday, January 20, 2012

Sirius Puppy Training Initiative!! A Call to Action!!

I am one lucky pup! And I know it. That's me at 10 weeks old! At 10 weeks, I was already housetrained, already chew toy trained, anyone could clip my nails and groom me, I'd met tons of other humans including children and I knew basic commands. I'm not bragging, that was all thanks to my breeder Katrina. I know how fortunate I was to be born to a responsible breeder that cared so much about early socialization, gentling/handling, making sure I was developing mentally and physically healthy. So when I went to my new puppy parents, I was already on the right track. I know how fortunate I was for knowledgeable humans like Jenn and Eric to adopt me, and provide training, support, and gentle guidance from the first day they brought me into their home. They continued with training, socialization, and giving me everything I needed to grown into a physically and mentally adaptive and stable adult. I was lucky. But many, many puppies are not as lucky as I've been. They don't get the best start in life. Some are born in backyards or into puppy mills with tiny cages with little or not human contact or support.
Some are adopted to humans that don't know how to teach puppies what they need to live successfully with humans, like to chew the right things, how to housetrain, or the importance of gentle handling and social experiences outside the home. By the time these puppies hit 6 months old, they have behavioral problems, sometimes big ones.
Wouldn't it be great to get the right information out to breeders, vets, trainers and new puppy parents, so that every puppy gets the best start in life??
The SIRIUS Puppy Training Initiative promotes a preventive educational program for breeders, vets, pet stores, trainers and new puppy owners about giving all puppies the best start in life and so that it becomes commonplace for prospective puppy owners to learn how to select and raise a puppy before they select and raise a puppy.

Any successful puppy raising program depends getting the right information out about maintaining errorless housetraining and chewtoy-training programs (which also prevents excessive barking and separation anxiety), to continue safely socializing their puppies with people at home so that the puppy does not become fearful or aggressive as an adult, to contact a trainer right away for an in-the-home visit and to register for puppy classes.

What can you to do to help this information get into the hands of the humans that need it most??

Please download Dr. Ian Dunban's two free eBooks and then email them to all of your friends, plus family, your vet, and your neighbors, urging them to forward the books to every puppy/dog owner that they know. You can download them on Jenn's Puppy Classes Page or at DogStarDaily.com or just click on the pictures below. If these two eBooks are emailed to a sufficient number of dog owners, not only will prospective puppies owners have copies prior to acquiring a new puppy but also, they will have copies on hand to email to family members, friends and neighbors should they decide to search for a new puppy. Please support this Puppy Raising Initiative so that it rapidly spreads nationwide and worldwide.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

January is National Train Your Dog Month!!

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers is once again promoting the benefits of reward based training and socialization for all puppies and dogs through National Train Your Dog Month. There are lots of events, free downloads, and cool stuff available free to everyone on the National Train Your Dog Official Website!

FREE WEBINARS-To help the public, animal shelters and others in the pet care industry, APDT has recorded free webinars for the public with many well-known pet training and behavior professionals. These will be available starting in January on the National Train Your Dog Official Website and are completely free.
  • Shelter Dogs: Good Choice or Bad? - Trish King, CPDT-KA, CDBC
  • Got C.L.A.S.S.? Canine Life and Social Skills for Pet Owners - Ann Allums, CPDT-KA
  • Housetraining Basics - Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA
  • Loose Leash Walking - Gail Fisher
  • It Takes Two: Successful Cat and Dog Interactions - Jacqueline Munera, CCBC
  • Feline Issues: Litter Box and Scratching - Katenna Jones, MSc, ACAAB, CABC, CPDT-KA
  • Dog Safety: What to Teach Your Kids - Joan Orr, MSc
  • Setting Dog and Baby Up for Success! - Jenn Shryock, CDBC
  • Separation Anxiety in Dogs - Melissa Bain, DVM, DACVB, MS
FREE CHATS-APDT has also set up a calendar of Facebook "chats" with professional training and behavior consultants throughout the month of January on a variety of topics focusing on the training and care of dogs, cats and even rabbits! Anyone with behavior and training questions can join the chats to learn more about their chosen pet. To join the chats, visit the APDT Facebook page at the date and time listed below.

All about Bully Breeds! Anything You Want to Know about 'Pit Bull' Type Dogs
Mychelle Blake, MSW, CDBC and Katenna Jones, MSc, ACAAB, CABC, CPDT-KA
January 2, 12 pm Eastern

Leash Manners
Gail Fisher
January 6, 12 p.m. Eastern

Adopting a Dog
Trish McMillan Loehr (ASPCA), MSc, CPDT-KA
January 9, 2 pm Eastern

Things to Teach Your Children to be Safe around Dogs
Joan Orr
January 12, 6 p.m. Eastern

Safety around Dogs for Babies and Toddlers
Jenn Shryock, CDBC
January 12, 7 p.m. Eastern

Housetraining
Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA
January 18, 6:30 p.m. Eastern

Introducing Cats and Dogs
Jacqueline Munera, CCBC
January 24, 12 p.m. Eastern

APDT CLASS: Canine Life and Social Skills
Ann Allums, CPDT-KA
January 25, 12:00 p.m. Eastern

APDT Rally
Ann Allums, CPDT-KA & Ali Brown, MEd, CPDT-KA, CDBC
January 25, 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Common Dog Behavior Problems (Barking, Digging and More)
Marjie Alonso, CDBC, CPDT-KA
Katenna Jones, MSc, ACAAB, CABC, CPDT-KA
January 27, 4 pm Eastern

All About Cats
Mychelle Blake, MSW, CDBC and Katenna Jones, MSc, ACAAB, CABC, CPDT-KA
January 30, 5 pm Eastern
FREE PUPPY AND DOG TRAINING TIPS-APDT has complied a list of articles for new puppy/dog parents about the importance of training and socialization. Check these out:
You can check out the complete list of articles at the National Train Your Dog Month Website.

Resolve to train your dog in 2012! You can join on of Jenn's classes and check out her Blue Dog website for the January schedule including puppy classes, adult dog classes, Rally-O, Canine Life and Social Skills, and K9 Cross Training. Let's make 2012 a wonderful year for new puppies and dogs with reward based training and a positive start!!

And here are more links on finding a reward based dog training professional in your area:

Association of Pet Dog Trainers

Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers

International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants

Animal Behavior Society


American College of Veterinary Behaviorists