Product Review: Benny Bully's dog treats

I was approached by a rep at Benny Bully's dog treats to do a review of their products. Single (or limited) ingredient freeze dried treats? Check. Made in the USA and/or Canada? Check. I was excited enough for both Elka and I (she can't read packages, obviously. She just wants you to hand over the beef liver)!

We received the Liver Chops and the Liver Plus (in banana) and we could not have been happier with them.

(picture from Benny Bully's site. Photobucket is being unkind to me)

Dog Treat Review: Orijen

I was recently contacted by a Chewy.com rep to sample and review Orijen dog treats. Well, given our previous experience with Chewy.com, our positive training methods (and Elka's limpid Disney eyes), we go through a lot of treats in this household, so I of course said yes. All of the treats were single protein, so really, it was just a matter (in my mind) of choosing something that would be something of a novelty for Elka, so we went with the Ranch Raised Lamb.

(image provided by Mr. Chewy)

Pets Love Toys: review

I was contacted by Brian, the CEO/Founder at PetsLoveToys.com to see if I was interested in sampling and reviewing their service. You may have heard of sample box services, in which you get a monthly box full of product samples in a certain niche. PetsLoveToys is a similar principle; every month, you view the showroom and pick which box you would like to get. There are typically three choices, with a combination of treats and toys.

The Funny Thing About Counter Conditioning

There are a few things I've worked on with Elka on our walks.

First all, the Holy Grail of walking a dog, especially a big one: loose leash walking. I'm happy to say that, combined with the clicker, repetition and improved consistency (I've never said I was perfect; I just play it on the Internet), Elka walks loose leash very well. I still Heel her on my right. We're also working on the left, for which I use the cue "Fuss", which is German for "heel", so we can act all fancy.

We've also worked on reactions to two persistently present things: barking dogs, and machinery, be it from construction or from yard work.

Book Review: Bringing Light to Shadow, by Pamela S. Dennison

I forget where I heard about Bringing Light to Shadow (subtitled "A Dog Trainer's Diary), by Pamela S. Dennison.  Perhaps in a review of Control Unleashed or a similar dog training book of its ilk, that uses positive methods.  It was an interesting book to read, because it was quite literally Dennison's diary as she brought Shadow (registered name of Dennison's choosing "Ewe Are Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt") home from rescue, discovered he was human aggressive and had a bushel of problems, and then dealt with them.  Using a clicker and treats and other non-corrective positive methods.

A Walk in the Post-Apocalypse Park

Last night I posted a teaser of this here, and today, it was sunny and beautiful, so Elka and I packed up the treats and went to the park!

How to be a better dog owner

Educate yourself.

That's my secret thing that I wish everybody would do.  You're interested in a breed?  Research it.  Read books, join breed specific forums on the Internet (though granted, I read DobermanTalk long before I joined), contact the national breed club for information (The Doberman Pinscher Club of America: http://dpca.org/).  The DPCA has lists of recommended breeders on a state by state basis, and if you go to the AKC web site, you can also view classifieds for available puppies.  You're interested in dogs?  Find out what they need.  Make sure these things fit into your life already, or make sure you're willing to arrange your life to make it so.

I read a lot of dog books.  Not all of them are on training specifically; some are memoirs, which can be just as informational if you read them correctly (sometimes, if only in a "what not to do" capacity), some are on animal behavior research in general.  I've read a hundred or more books comprising those topics since just before getting Elka, back in 2009 (I'll post the list somewhere, one of these days).

Rewarding the experience

If a dog has done something correctly, you want to reward her, so she does that right thing again.  Right?  Has it occurred to you to think about how your dog would prefer to be rewarded, versus what you think of as a good reward for your dog?

In The Bark magazine, Patricia McConnell has an article called "Rewards Redux" in which she discusses this very thing.  I enjoyed the article when I read it, and in the online dog circles I follow, it keeps cropping up as more people discover it.

I've discussed this a little bit, in the Clicker Crossover: Loose Leash post.  On walks, if I run out of treats but in other instances just to switch things up, I get Elka's play drive revved up.  I have a variety of rope toys that I carry, and once she's stayed in the proper loose leash "bubble" for a proscribed amount of time, we have a round of tug, and then I let her shake the toy around for awhile, and maybe even carry it for a block.

Elka's favorite toy: The Third Man

Elka has a very clear preference for one of her toys: Gumby.  The evidence: