Dogs express their love in many ways; kisses all over the face, a wagging tail, and cuddles, lots of cuddles. We all love our pets, but many of us only see them when we come home from work or on weekends. This leaves very little time for us to express to them how we feel about them. Pet Appreciation Week is from June 2nd to June 8th and here are 5 ways to show your dog some extra affection!

1.  Take them to the dog park! Some dogs may be deprived of socialization which can cause them anxiety in other social situations. Relieving your pet of their built-up energy at a dog park may allow your pet to become more sociable and make new friends! You can find a list of reputable dog parks around you with a quick google search. For dog parks in the Denver area click here!

2. Bake them a doggy-friendly cake. Yes, a cake. Find recipes online for dog-safe cakes and mixes that you can buy premade! This will let your dog enjoy a delicious treat and allow you to bake with unlimited love for your pet. Check out this link for some good-looking dog-friendly cake recipes!

3. Learn how to better communicate with your dog in their own language. There are many resources online to teach pet owners how to better communicate with their pets. It can help bring you closer to your pet and possibly change some negative behaviors too! Check out “5 Ways To Tell Your Dogs You Love Them In Their Own Language”, for more tips on how you can communicate effectively with your pet.

4. Pamper your pet with a grooming. Being covered in fur can’t be easy, give your pet a bath and trim their nails. You might even feel better afterwards too! The American Humane Organization says that matted fur can be harmful to your pet’s health and even cause skin infections. Keeping your pet feeling fresh can help them feel loved and taken care of.

5. Finally, keep your pet healthy with a daily supplement to support their immune system and overall health! Daily Dog is a great example. Daily Dog has 21 key vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants. It is beef-flavored and can be given like a treat. To check out Daily Dog click here.

These 5 things can help you show your pet extra appreciation this week! For more information on keeping your dog healthy and active visit Zoomdog Supplements today!

Sources:

• (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/denver-parks-and-recreation/parks/city-parks/dog-parks.html

• Grooming Your Pet. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.americanhumane.org/fact-sheet/grooming-your-pet/

• Daniels, E. (2018, February 08). 15 Dog Cake Recipes for Your Fur Baby. Retrieved from https://www.personalcreations.com/blog/dog-cake-recipes

• 5 Ways To Tell Your Dogs You Love Them In Their Own Language. (2017, July 02). Retrieved from https://iheartdogs.com/5-ways-to-tell-your-dogs-you-love-them-in-their-own-language/

This month we continue with Lesson #4 in WHOA training utilizing Paul Long’s system as described in his book, “Training Pointing Dogs”.

This lesson is critical in the process because you are now going to teach your dog to come to you when you call his name coupled with HERE/COME command.  You will teach your dog to stop at any given point when you command WHOA.

Start by reviewing Lessons 1, 2 & 3 for a few minutes. Then, HEEL your dog for a few feet and WHOA him. Command him to stay and walk the check cord out about 30 feet in front of the dog. You have taught your dog to stay where WHOAED, and he must do so now.

Standing 30 feet in front of the dog, signal him to come to you using his name combined with HERE or COME command, whichever you have chosen. You can also train with a whistle command. However, I prefer you start verbally and then convert to the whistle once your dog truly understands Lesson # 4. He/she will probably hesitate at first since they have been taught to WHOA and not move. Give a slight tug on check cord, repeating the command, to encourage them to come to you. Praise the dog lavishly when he does so. Repeat this procedure 100 times, making sure the dog stays where WHOAED until ordered to come to you. Then put your dog away for the day.

Once you have your dog staying in place until you call him to come, you are ready for the next step. That is to start him with a “HERE/COME” command and stop him en route to you. Start this no more than 15 feet from the dog. Command “HERE/COME” and WHOA the dog once he has come about 3 feet. Don’t let the dog come too far before WHOAING as the momentum will carry the dog to you. Your command may slow him down but will not stop him. Give the dog a break by not asking too much to start with.

Now go to heeling and whoaing your dog and move out 15 feet. Start him coming to you with HERE/COME and then WHOA him once he has come 3 feet. Now you are ready to vary the procedure by going further away from the dog and then WHOAING him. Do not go too far at first. Increase the distance in increments. Then you can vary the increments so he does not anticipate your command and pays attention to you.

Keep in mind this is a confusing lesson for your dog. So, don’t expect perfection too soon. Take it in bits and pieces and be sure to stop when the dog gets tired or obstinate. Remember, dog training success depends on delayed gratification on your part.

Stop by again next month for Lesson # 5 which will complete our WHOA training portion of yard training.

CJ , Shawnee &  Duchess

This month we continue our WHOA command training program with Lesson # 3 from Paul Long’s, “Training Pointing Dogs” . . .

This month we will start a five (5) lesson program on teaching the WHOA command. . .

Last month we discussed how dogs learn and how that will simplify the training process for you . . .