Jumping Up

Recently there has been an influx of owners who are asking advise about their dogs jumping up. Some of these dogs are small, and not really a "problem" per say, but it is annoying. Most of the dogs are bigger dogs, over 40 lbs, and if they were to jump up would have the possibility to knock a person over. 

I have a few different ways of dealing with a dog jumping up. With Ronda, all it took was a good knee into her chest as she jumped up. I think this happened a total of 2 maybe 3 times before she got the picture.  And she also has learned that by sitting she gets much more and better attention than if she was to jump on me. 

Other dogs are much more persistent, and dont get the hint, so here are a few tips if your dog jumps up on you or other people. 

Proper greeting manners - when Ronda meets a new person, I give her the sit command and insist that she remain there until the person has come over, said hi to me, and then acknowledges Ronda who still has to have her bum on the ground. 

If Ronda is off leash, I will call her over to me, put her on her leash and tell her to sit. and if we are in the house, she is told to go to her bed until said person is in and ready to say hello. 

If your dog jumps on you in greeting or at any time, do not acknowledge them other than to push them off, or lift up you knee. You can also go stock still, and not move until your dog turns its back on you, bored of your inactivity.

As soon as they loose interest, call them over and give the sit command, as soon as they sit, give big praise and move on with your day. 

Eventually the goal is to have your dog automatically come over and realize that jumping will not get them the attention they want, but by sitting and asking politely they receive the  attention they want. 

Have you tried this with your dog? How did it work for you? 

Thanks for reading, 

Hana 

Rondas first Camping Trip/Toy Review

Last weekend my boyfriend, and five other friends went camping, We drove 48 km down a Forest Service Road (FSR) and pitched our tents (and tarps) along the Copper River.

There were a total of 4 dogs in the campsite with us. My two, Lilo and Ronda, and then two poodles belonging to my cousin (they mostly kept to themselves).

My girls set out to exploring the camp, there was no one around, so they had free reign over the entire area, and they loved it!!!  Of course Lilo who is notorious for rolling in all things nasty and discusting, found a river otter carcass to roll in, and stunk up the entire camp. Ronda just carried around the bones of the otters foot like it was the best prize in the entire world!!

That night for dinner Matt brought out delicious steaks that he had been marinating in a spice mixture and Sprite for 2 days. He then cooked them over the fire and man were they delicious!!

After dinner, us girls hiked down to the river and dunked Lilo in to try to get rid of the dead otter clinging to her hair, and see a different part of the river. She was quite sad that she had to take a bath, but was a trooper and then tried off by the fire.

The next morning we woke up, had pancakes, baked on the fire by yours truly and set off on our first adventure of the day, fossil hunting 10 km up the road. We found a bunch of small leaf fossils embedded in rock chunks, as well as shells. Matt and Justin took off and started the process of chopping fire wood. We followed suit a few minutes after to help. We loaded up the back of Erics truck, and drove back to camp.

We had macaroni and cheese for lunch, and then headed up Trapper Mountain. 11 km of winding roads later, we reached the top and the views were amazing!!! We brought Ronda up the mountain with us and she was in the lake before I could say "hey Ronda, theres a lake". I had intentionally brought up a new toy for her to fetch.

The Kurgo Skipping Stone - http://www.kurgo.com/dog-toys/skipping-stones/

I tossed the plastic stone into the water a few feet from shore, to make sure it floated, and Ronda brought it back! Wahoo!! The game  was on. I tossed it out even further, and she paddled right out to it. The water was freezing!! and Ronda just kept on paddling. The rock wasn't so good at skipping, but it was a good floater, and it fit nicely in Ronda's mouth.

After the guys jumped into the glacial lake, we started back down the mountain. where 5 minutes into the journey, we got a flat tire. 30 minutes later we were back on the road.

For dinner that night we had Tacos in a Bag (or all the things you would put on a regular taco ie ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cheese) and put it in a small Doritos bag. They were delicious.

We all went to bed early as the fresh air, and activity as relaxing as it was takes a lot out of a human and pup. Ronda was passed out by the fire before any of us, and she jumped into her kennel the first chance she got.

The last day camping we woke up, had eggs and bacon, and packed up camp. When we got home the first thing Ronda did was curl up on her bed and pass out cold, no moving, not even blinking when we called her name. SHE WAS OUT.

We have ore trips planned for the future, and Ronda I am sure will play just as hard. Talk to you all soon!!

Cheers,

Hana, Lilo, and Ronda

It has been quite a long time since I have added to this blog. :) Lots of things have happened.
The dog training has taken off, I have been able to work with some really awesome dogs and their humans, I have taught three indoor obedience classes, two puppy classes and two down town dog obedience classes. I also have agility classes starting. Lots of new things in the works that I am very excited about.

In November I adopted a new puppy! Not a doberman like I had planned, but a beautiful little pup that I foster-failed. :) Her name is Ronda and she is a lab mix who steals everyone's heart!! She is now almost a year, and has learned so much, as well as taught me more that I could ever imagine.

I got her as a foster puppy through Northern Animal Rescue Alliance, a friend who also volunteers picked her up after someone called it in that she had been living under their deck for 4 days, at only four months old she was skin and bones. After a month of good puppy food, she became a beautiful perky puppy!!

She comes to most of my private lessons and helps with showing the other dogs how to behave. She is also learning agility.

She makes my day brighter, and even Lilo likes her!!

My goal is to post a few posts a month about my adventures training and Ronda, Lilo and I's adventures.

Chat with you all soon.