Athens Dog Training

At this time I do not have any classes planned. I will update when anything is scheduled.

The new girl is just starting out, might as well do some attention work while we wait for the car to be done!

The recall should always be a positive thing, even if you are frustrated!

There is nothing harder to overcome in a dog than a poisoned recall cue.

You know the one- you call the dog to come to you, the dog refuses or dances around, and you get frustrated and angry and start bellowing at the dog to come to you.

The dog learns over time that your recall command means you are mad and to keep away from you.

Owners don't intend to poison the cue, but 100% of every dog that comes to us for remediation has learned that the recall command is something to be suspicious of.

So here's a handful of rules for teaching your dog a reliable recall:

1) Never give your dog a command that you cannot enforce. Your dog cannot refuse if it's wearing a leash and collar, and you happen to be holding the leash.

2) ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS positively reinforce honest effort. If your dog comes to you, praise the dog SINCERELY and offer something of value in return for that effort.

3) Don't run your dog down if it refuses or is reluctant to come to you. You did that, not the dog. You breached a sacred trust, and you have to earn it back. It starts by not chasing the dog because you planned poorly and are now frustrated and angry.

4) 100% of recalls should be positively reinforced.

5) The recall should be the behavior you practice the most, with the greatest ROI for the dog. If every time you call your dog, you are locking him up, leaving him or any other activity the dog finds de-motivating, you are diminishing the value of the recall.

6) NEVER NEVER NEVER punish your dog for coming to you. I don't care what the dog did before that, but if you're not adhering to the short list of things above, that's a YOU problem, not a dog problem.

Think about it. When you were a kid and you heard your mom shout your first, middle, and last name, you knew you were in for it.

You didn't want to come to that, why do you think your dog would?

⚠️WARNING WHEN FREEZING TREAT TOYS

Please ensure that if you are stuffing treat toys and freezing them for your pets, don’t forget to ensure there is a HOLE ALL OF THE WAY THROUGH IT.

WHY YOU MAY ASK ?

Toys such as Kongs have 2 holes in their toys for a reason - TO PREVENT SUCTION.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT ?

When your pet licks at the contents of the toy or squeezes it in its mouth, their tongue can get SUCKED into the hole and the toy can get STUCK on the dogs tongue. This can cause horrific injuries to the point where the animal can actually die.

Having 2 HOLES in the toy PREVENTS this from happening.

So if you STUFF your toys with treats, natural peanut butter, etc - push a large straw through it to ensure the 2 HOLES ARE NOT BLOCKED. (We like the thick straws used for bubble tea 🧋)

If you are going to FREEZE the toy, do so with the straw in place and then REMOVE the straw before giving it to your pet.

Credit: petcloud