SF Dog Connect by The Pooch Coach Dog Training

FRIENDLY DOGS CAN STILL PROTECT YOU! I recently saw this video and I loved it because it proved exactly what I preach to my clients. You need to ensure your dog is friendly to strangers - for their sake and the sake of visitors and others who could be injured. A dog who is fearful of strangers is not living their best life. They are constantly stressed and in hypervigilant mode to see who’s coming next to possibly hurt them. It is not a healthy state for a dog - or anyone - ...to live in. But... being friendly doesn’t mean that, if somebody tries to hurt you or invade your home, that your dog won’t protect you! If you have a good relationship with your dog, they should know whether you’re saying I welcome this person into my home or get out, intruder!. Your dog should follow your lead. Watch this video to see a Great Dane being petted by a complete stranger who entered this house by himself. But, once the dog’s owner saw the intruder and screamed and showed she was scared, the dog leapt into action and chased the intruder out while biting at him. What a perfect relationship between that woman and her dog. This is exactly how it should be! #teamwork https://youtu.be/M_sLKHH1lGY

LATEST DOG NUTRITION NEWS! Have you heard of cricket and insect based proteins for dogs? Well, now you have! It's sustainable, healthy, and tasty! Learn about cricket treats and food and why they are so good for your pup (and find out how to get free samples and discounts):... https://www.poochcoach.com/cricket-protein-for-dogs/

LOOK AT ME! Getting your dog's attention A great command to teach every dog is "look at me". For dogs who are reactive, it can allow them to focus on you rather than the scary thing ahead.... For dogs who get easily distracted (most dogs, right? ), it gets their attention back on you, so you can keep them out of harm's way. Lastly, it makes for MUCH cuter puppy pics! As usual, practice starts at home with simple tasks, and then builds to being able to do it outdoors. As you can see from this pic, Apollo (and Musik Ulbrich), are camera-ready with their look-at-me's! Learn more about "look at me" here: https://poochcoach.com/look-at-me/

I LIE DOWN WHEN I SEE DOGS ON A WALK What is appropriate dog greeting behavior? New adopted Leo's mom came to The Pooch Coach to get help with his reaction to other dogs on walks. He gets low to the ground and will not budge until the dog is right next to them.... Dogs have lots of ways of greeting each other. And, just as with humans, dogs will greet people and dogs differently if they are known ("friends") versus strangers. No matter what, you want your dog to be safe and polite. And, the easy answer for what is polite is a calm approach and a sniff of butt or nose. Afterwards, there can be play bows, peeing contests, etc. Any other reactions: lying down, barking, lunging, whining, jumping on the other dog, etc. indicates your dog has temporarily lost control of themselves and cannot focus on anything but the exciting or scary thing ahead. This is why basic and advanced obedience training is so important. If your dog doesn't listen perfectly in your home or with slight distractions, they certainly are not going to listen when they are upset, excited, or agitated. Once your dog is seeing you as their leader and listening to you, you should be able to address whatever greeting issue you have much more easily. But, please do not make excuses and say that your dog "just wants to play" when they are frothing at the mouth violently lunging at another dog. Just admit your dog is being impolite and that you are training them (and then do it!). Here is some info on what polite dog greetings should look like. https://www.poochcoach.com/polite-dog-greeting/ Happy sniffing!

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIALIZATION Free Dog & Puppy Socialization Meetup! The Pooch Coach has written a lot about how critical it is to socialize your puppy or new dog, especially the last 7 months during the Shelter in Place and social distancing. So now we’re putting our money where our mouth is! ... Announcing our November 14th Puppy Socialization Meetup! After the client workshops from 12:00 to 12:45, others can join at 12:45 with their friendly or shy dogs. (No aggressive or reactive dogs, please). This offers everyone a chance to get their dog more socialized with new people and other dogs during the Covid Shelter in Place. As usual, social distancing and face coverings will be mandatory. We will also provide lots of yummy treats and treat samples for the event. For more information, or to sign up, click here: https://facebook.com/events/s/sf-dog-connectors-meetup/2812428122366976/ Here is an article on why socialization is so critical: https://www.poochcoach.com/socializing-your-new-puppy-or-d/ And here is an article specifically about COVID and the challenges of socializing. https://www.poochcoach.com/keep-your-dog-safe-and-trained-/ Hope to see you there! -Beverly & Musik

OH-OH! LOOKS LIKE BATHTIME FOR SOMEONE! Ever wonder why some dogs don’t mind baths, while others hate them?... Here is why a lot of dogs don’t like baths, and some things you can do to make it more pleasant experience for them. https://www.poochcoach.com/bath-time/

YET ANOTHER SIP CHALLENGE Working on your dog’s patience and ability to control their reaction. One of the biggest complaints we get here at The Pooch Coach are that our clients' dogs are too reactive. They jump and bark at noises, other dogs, skateboards, etc. There are literally hundreds of things we’ve seen dogs react to.... The trick is to work on easier tasks indoors without many distractions and work your way up to more difficult challenges. There are lots of options once you teach your dog to stay in a basic stay. (Click below if you do not have that mastered yet: https://www.poochcoach.com/stay/) This advanced reaction control stay is a command I often work on with dogs who have to learn to play dead in the movies. I have to make sure that, no matter what happens around them, they will not move or jump up. So I work on this with various ways with Musik Ulbrich, as you see in this video. All of these games are great ways to practice with your dog! Enjoy!

AVOID HEAT STROKE WITH YOUR DOG! We are still getting plenty of hot weather and smoky air here in California. Please be careful with your dog and ensure they are getting enough shade and fresh cool water to drink. I also recommend soaking their fur in cool water and even putting a wet T-shirt on them for walks to keep them cooled down. Musik has no trouble walking on 90+ degree days with her wet t-shirt on.... When out walking, make sure and touch the pavement. If it’s too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for their paws. And never ever leave your dog in the car with this horrible weather!! See post below to see how quickly your car turns into an oven...

DOGS ALSO NEED TO EAT HEALTHIER WHEN STRESSED. And, as with their human counterparts, many dogs have put on a couple pounds with the shelter in place! Just like with humans, when dogs are stressed, their immune systems are also weaker during these times. The last 6 months have been hard for them too... watching people with masks avoid them on the street, and not having visitors over, etc. They feel our stress as well. ... So, just as we should be eating healthier, so should they. I’m making sure my dog gets fresh vegetables every day as part of her diet during the SIP. When I switched over to this routine, she quickly lost almost half a pound! Just as with humans, good food makes dogs stronger and healthier, and helps them heal faster. This is not the time for junk food! Make sure your pup is getting lots of fresh, healthy food and treats. Here, Musik is patiently waiting for a bowl of her (dehydrated raw) food mixed in with finally chopped raw carrots and raw broccolini. Switching back and forth from raw to lightly cooked veggies is a good idea as well. You can test to discover how your dog’s digestive system reacts to eating each way. If my dog’s stomach is a little upset, then I make sure everything is cooked, so it’s not too hard to digest. EXTRA TIP - If your dog doesn't like eating their veggies, try using a finely crumbled treat over them to "spice" it up (freeze dried liver is great for this - there are always crumbs at the bottom of the bag). It has to go on like salt & pepper - no chunks that they can pick out! MORE TIPS FOR COOKING FOR YOUR DOG: https://www.poochcoach.com/cooking-for-your-dog/ LEARN MORE ABOUT HEALTHY FOOD AND TREATS. https://www.poochcoach.com/healthy-dog-food-and-treats/

SOMETIMES I NEED SPACE Make sure your dog knows there are places they can go to be alone to rest and center themselves. Just like people, dogs pick up stressors around them in their own lives, as well as off of the people they live with. So it’s great for them to know that they can take a little time for self-care, and go lie in their crate, bed, or even a little nook in the closet, to have some me time. In Musik’s case, she likes to go to the other side of our yard. ... Here is some more information on dogs getting their alone time: https://www.poochcoach.com/giving-your-dog-some-space/ And of course make sure you’re taking time for yourself! You’re not going to help your dog by being stressed. It’s imperative that you get out every single day for a nice long walk so you both can get some stress relief and bonding time.

DOG LEASH REACTIVITY Maz joined The Pooch Coach pack just before the COVID SIP order. He was starting to exhibit leash reactivity towards other dogs, and his guardian needed some help. Leash reactivity and aggression can be caused by several different things. Often, it’s just fear manifesting itself as aggression. Sometimes it’s built up frustration. It also can be because the flight or fight response has kicked in, and the leash takes away the flight option.... Reasons aside, it's a difficult issue for most people to deal with. They try walking when no one else is out, and some people give up walks altogether - which is only going ot make it worse when you DO try to go out again! (Note - NEVER give up walks! They are imperative for dogs' to have healthy minds and bodies). Learn more about leash reactivity in dogs here: https://www.poochcoach.com/dog-leash-aggression/