Puppy and Dog Training

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

There’s Something Scary Behind Me, Isn’t There!?

Puppy Scare!

I think I told you recently that I was watching Breaking Bad on NetFlix. Remember this one: Meth Lab, Yo. It took about 3 months, but I’m over it now. I saw the season finale a couple weeks back and let me just say it was a great series. If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it.

I’ve moved on to bigger and brighter things…actually scarier and more horrifying things…I’m now watching American Horror Story on NetFlix. It’s scary! I can’t believe some of the things they show on TV these days. I remember back when I was in grade school having to get permission to watch the movie TRON (this was back in 1982). I guess that was too violent for the times.

Today I can just pop on the TV and scare the bejesus out of myself with TV shows like American Horror Story and I’m assuming The Walking Dead isn’t a comedy (that’s next on my list of shows to watch).

Anyhow this pic made me think a little bit about the American Horror Story.

Honestly, this picture is totally true. Every time I bring home a new puppy I know Stetson is horrified so to him there truly is something scary behind him.

How do your older dogs do when you bring home a new puppy?

Adelle: Wants to play!
Stetson: Wants to hide…
Linus: Wants to knock them down!

Tell us about your dogs in the comment section below.

Colby Morita is a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs of America and has been raising and training puppies for over 6 years. He's been writing to the PuppyInTraining.com blog and sharing his puppy training tips from his experiences as a guide dog puppy raiser since August, 2007.

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Wordless Wednesday – This Puppy Is…Part Boxer?

Dublin was quite the helper when he would come into the office with me, but part boxer? I don’t think so…Dublin was/is a purebred yellow Labrador Retriever bred at Guide Dogs of America.

Today Dublin is a working guide dog and we chronicled his entire journey in our Puppy In Training TV series.

If you have a moment take a look at Dublin’s videos as we tell his story from picking him up as a 7 week old puppy to guide dog graduation to visiting and watching him as a working guide dog.

Part Boxer?

I love that picture! Dublin helping out in the warehouse. If he didn’t continue on to his career as a guide dog maybe he could have worked the shipping department at Ascolta I’m sure they would have loved having Dublin as a permanent worker back there!

By the way, if you are interested in raising and training a guide dog puppy please feel free to contact me through our contact form and I can send you some details on how we started our journey as puppy raisers.

Just to let you know raising and training guide dog puppies has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life so if you’re a puppy or dog lover then please do yourself a favor and check your area for local service and guide dog schools that might offer puppy raising opportunities.

You can follow Colby at Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Google+

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Puppies Are Taking Over Super Bowl Commercials

Another Super Bowl has come and gone and once again the actual game was an after thought compared to all the other hoopla surrounding the Super Bowl. This one was never even close with a final score of 43-8

It might just be me, after all I am the author of a blog about puppies. However, did you notice this year that the puppies have not only been participating in the Puppy Bowl, but have also taken over the Super Bowl commercials?

Lets take a look at two of my favorite Super Bowl commercials this year:

All I have to say is “Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!”

Make sure to watch this one to the very end. If you don’t then you’ll be wondering what the heck it has to do with puppies.

Go CarMax! Way to realize that us puppy folk want to see puppy versions of everything from Awesome Websites to Super Bowls to Commercials. If you missed it everyone should watch the puppy version of the CarMax Slow Clap Bark Commercial.

This one had me at “Warm Springs Puppy Adoption”, but that was just the beginning of a commercial that will bring a tear to your eye…happy tears Lets watch!

I loved the Budweiser commercial and glad they were able to promote puppy adoption. While we love Labrador Retriever puppies (they’re all over this site) I think I would have liked to have seen a scrappy little mutt (mixed breed pup) in place of our beloved Labs.

<———-Non-Puppy Talk Starts Here———->

I just thought I’d throw this out there: One of my other favorite commercials was the Radio Shack 80's commercial. I’m sure many of the youngsters didn’t get it, but I love the nostalgia…Mary Lou Retton, Cliff Claven, Bubo, Alf, Teen Wolf, Chuckie, and of course “Doc. Ah… Are you telling me that you built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?” Gotta love it! Btw, I also thought this commercial was very appropriate as the image I see when I think of Radio Shack is 80's Electronics Store. I guess many others think the same…

<———-Non-Puppy Talk Ends Here———->

We were only casually watching the Super Bowl this year so we may have missed something. Were there any other great puppy commercials during Super Bowl XLVIII? What do you all think of this years Super Bowl Commercials? Tell us about it in the comment section below.

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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Orange County Pet Expo 2014

Guess what? One of our favorite pet adoption events of the year is on the horizon. That’s right! The 2014 Orange County Pet Expo! We’ve been writing about this event for years, we’re regular attendees, and often times volunteer at the Guide Dogs of America booth. I’m not sure what’s in store for us this year…perhaps another adventure for Adelle??? We’ll see. Lets get on to some of the details about this event:

WHAT: America’s Family Pet Expo
WHEN: April 25-27th, 2014; Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-7pm, Sunday 10am-6pm
WHERE: OC Fair and Event Center, 88 Fair Dr, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

TICKET PRICES

General Admission – $13Seniors 60 and over – $11Children 6-12 – $85 years and under – FREEActive and Retired Military Members – FREE

If I remember correctly I believe it was $5 for parking. That may have changed.

So what is this thing all about? Well, I took a look at the schedule and it looks like it might be a bit smaller then in years past, but here are some of the main attractions:

Bird ShowDog Training with ReneeSplash DogsPolice and Protection Dog DemonstrationPet AdoptionsKids Aquarium ContestWiener Dog RacesThe Aquatic ExperiencePet Adoption MakeoversTICA Cat Show

Take a peek at our visit to the OC Pet Expo with Dublin a few years back:

That’s my boy Dublin! He’s now a working guide dog. If you want to see the rest of his adventures in guide dog training check out our entire series: Puppy In Training TV.

Pet dogs are not allowed at this years Pet Expo, but they’ve allowed us to bring our guide dog puppies in training every year I’ve attended. However, just a word of warning: the Pet Expo is an extremely stressful event even for our guide pups. If you’re planning on bringing a guide or service dog puppy in training to this event I highly recommend that your pup is older and well socialized. Also, be sure to keep a close eye on your pup and all the dogs and animals walking around. You may be careful with your dog, but not everyone will be as careful as you.

So, what are our favorite parts of the OC Pet Expo?

We love the Splash Dogs! Maybe it’s because Linus and Stetson despise the water, but I love watching the dog’s soar through the air!The Dog Training Demos - There used to be more dog demonstrations including K9 Nosework and Schutzhund Training, but all the dog training demos are usually pretty cool.The Pet Products – I’ve never been to the Global Pet Expo or SuperZoo (I’d like to go someday). Until then I love checking out all of the new, innovative pet products on display.Pet Adoptions – The OC Pet Expo has tons of adoptable pets. If you’re looking to adopt your next dog, cat, rabbit, etc then look no further then this years America’s Family Pet Expo.Lots of different animals – this is great for our pups in training. It gives them a chance to see different animals including llamas, snakes, lizards, cats (sometimes big ones), chickens, donkeys, horses, sheep, etc.

I’m sure there’s a ton of other stuff that I’m missing, but those are most of the highlights for me. If you’re a pet lover and live in the orange county area then this is a must see event. I’m not sure yet if I’m going to volunteer at any of the booths, but if I do I’ll be sure and let you know through our social media channels so if you haven’t already make sure and subscribe.

What about you guys? Have you attended the OC Pet Expo? How was your experience?

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Puppy Thoughts…If Only We Could Read Our Pup’s Mind!

UPDATE: I just noticed…do you know what’s wrong with the command given below?

Puppy Thoughts

UPDATE: I’m not sure why I didn’t catch this before I published, but there are two commands we are taught never to use with our puppy’s name:

Why you ask? Check out this blog post we wrote: Commands Not To Use With Your Dog’s Name. Now back to our regularly scheduled program…

Did you ever see Zoolander? It was on TV the other day and that movie always cracks me up. Of course if you don’t like dumb comedies then you probably just think I’m an idiot.

So why bring up Zoolander for this puppy meme? Well, among the many classic lines in the movie it reminds me of this one:

After telling her heartfelt story about how she couldn’t understand why she didn’t have the figure of a model…

Matilda: I became…
Hansel: What?
Matilda: Bulimic.
Zoolander: You can read minds?

Sorry folks, but I’m full of useless movie quotes so if you’re a reader of this blog then you’ll definitely have to endure some painful references to stupid AWESOME movies!

One of the things we are constantly working on with our pup’s is to get a solid sit-stay and down-stay. When working on your stay you should always build on a solid foundation. Here are a few tips when working on stay with your puppy:

Start off by keeping the distance and time short. We first have our puppy’s in a sit or down by our left side. Give a solid “Stay” then just pivot our bodies only a few inches out in front of our puppies. We keep our pup’s in a stay for about 5 seconds, return to our puppy’s side, release them, and give tons of praise for staying (update: as mentioned in a comment below timing is very important when rewarding. Our release and praise happen pretty much simultaneously).Make sure to start with a solid foundation. As you puppy masters “Stay” you can increase time, distance, add distractions, and try different locations (park, inside the house, outside the house, while on a walk, your local pet store…etc).If your puppy becomes fixated on a distraction (like in the pic above) refocus his/her attention. We use either the “Leave it” command, ”Look at me” command, or Pup’s name.Try working with a long line to increase distance. We have a 20 foot leash we used when we want to increase the amount of distance we have when working on our ”Stay”.

Here’ a good picture of my pup’s working on their down stays in our backyard.

Dog’s Doing a Down Stay

Linus is way in the back he’s the oldest and pretty good with his down-stay. Stetson is near the tree and is a career changed guide dog. He’s been working on sit-stay and down-stay nearly his entire life. Adelle is the yellow Lab about 5 feet away. She’s the rookie (9 months old) and current service dog puppy in training. She says: “Someday I’ll be the pup on the far side of the camera!”

By the way, the main questions I got when I posted this on our Facebook page was not how do you get you’re dogs to down-stay, but instead how do you keep your grass so green with 3 dogs? Answer: These guys are indoor dogs so we keep them inside most of the time, but when they are outside we’ve been working on getting them to potty on the wood chips along the side rather than on the grass. They do well…most of the time

What tips and tricks to you have when working on sit-stay and down-stay with your dogs? Tell us about it in the comment section below.

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Puppy In Training TV – Ep21 – Working Guide Dog

WOWZERS!!! Can you believe it’s been well over a year since Dublin graduated from Guide Dog College!? Last we saw Dublin just started his career as a working Guide Dog. If you missed Dublin’s graduation episode head on over to this page and you can see him graduating from Guide Dogs of America(GDA).

Today, he’s a veteran with over a years experience working together with his new partner, Liz in Arizona. We even heard he’s an international traveler and has flown several times on airplanes (probably more than me over the past year). Lucky for us while we were on a little trip to Arizona we got to visit our pal Dublin and hang out with his wonderful family for the day.

So guess what…that means one final episode of Puppy In Training TV!

PRETTY DARN COOL! Dublin’s family is awesome. It’s incredible to see him working and seeing him and Liz as a guide dog team. As I said in the video when people ask how I can give up my puppy…just take a look at this video and see how Dublin and other guide dogs bring independence back to their partners. By the way, if you haven’t already check out the entire Puppy In Training TV series.

PuppyInTraining.com Logo and Website Address

We recently got back from a trip to Arizona You guys know who lives in Arizona??? DUBLIN!!! Welcome to todays episode of puppy in training tv.

Guide Dog Puppy Training Starring DUBLIN
With Linus Aussie Shepherd Rescue
Also Colby The Human
And Stetson Career Changed Guide Dog

We hopped in the car and made the 6 hour trek to Arizona to play some hockey and meet up with some old friends

On our way to my hockey game we passed this sign…I sign of things to come…

Look who stopped by to see my game…Dublin!

We went to many hockey games together so I guess the sights, smells, and sounds were old news for him.

After the game Liz, Dublin, and the rest of the gang headed out to meet up with me…we worked hard teaching Dublin about stairs and different surfaces and it looks like it paid off.

I was so excited to see my pal again…I walked up and I was kind of wondering if Dublin would remember me…yep he remembered me. Look at that tail go!!! It kind of reminded me of graduation. I did my best not to encourage him and let Liz calm him down before I gave him any attention. Actually Dublin was so excited I decided to wait until he was out of harness and not working before giving him attention.

Liz, Lance, and the kids invited us over to their home and I got to play with Dublin. It’s not all work for Guide Dogs. Dublin also gets a chance to run around and play when he’s not working!

It’s hot in Arizona so Dublin wears booties in the summer to keep the pads of his feet from burning. He sure is a good boy while Liz puts on those booties!

It was about 100 degrees in Arizona that day so Dublin was definitely making good use of his little booties. Liz and Lance took us out to lunch and we got a chance to see Dublin do a little bit of guide dog work. Dublin maneuvered Liz between the two parked cars and notice how he stops at the curb so Liz doesn’t trip. He gives her a chance to find the curb with her foot before moving forward…Pretty Darn Cool!

After lunch I got a chance to go back to the house and play with Dublin a little more before heading out.

I sure can tell Dublin is enjoying his new family and his life as a working guide dog, but it’s still always hard to say goodbye.

We started this journey over 3 years ago and we are so proud of all Dublin has accomplished. When people ask me how you can give up your puppy. I tell them about Dublin and other working guide dogs and how they are able to bring independence back to a person’s life. Thanks everyone for joining us on Dublin’s journey to become a guide dog. And guess what…look who joined our household…stay tuned for more videos about our latest Puppy In Training.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and our Blog, PuppyInTraining.com

Dublin On Break

If you watched the entire video then you saw Adelle our latest Puppy In Training. We’re training Adelle for a different school called Canine Support Teams (CST).

CST Service dogs are placed with people who use wheelchairs, walkers, crutches or canes, have Autism, Epilepsy, Seizures, Diabetes, Combat Veterans with PTSD and more. Raising and training a Canine Support Teams puppy is a little bit different then Guide Dogs of America (GDA).

However, our goal remains the same: We strive to best prepare our puppy to help others as a working assistance dog. Stay tuned for upcoming adventures of our latest Puppy In Training, Adelle and her journey to become a working Service Dog.

You can follow Colby at Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Google+

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Monday, March 17, 2014

Are You Looking For A Custom Dog House?

One of my friends has been working for an architecture firm for the past year or so, but he recently has had the itch to design custom dog houses. We always used to have dog houses for our family dogs at home. Unfortunately, because I live in a small condo with just a patio I haven’t had the luxury of getting a dog house let alone a custom dog house for my furry friends (hopefully that will all change as I’m looking to buy a house with a nice backyard).

I stopped by my architecture friend’s house the other day and got a first hand look at one of his custom dog house prototypes. My girlfriend’s parents dog, Yuki even had the chance to test drive this doggy home.

I don’t think he has names for these houses yet so we’ll just call prototype 1 the Craftsman Dog House.

Yuki test driving the modern dog house

Yep, that’s our pal Yuki testing out one of the porches on this little abode. It looks pretty comfy!

A different angle of this modern dog house

Here’s another angle of the same house…and the same dog…this time practicing a sit-stay. You can see on the inside there’s a nice little doggy bed to keep your little buddy cozy and warm.

From the side craftsman dog house.

Here’s a side angle and you can see Luke in the background about to settle into his dog bed. I’m not too sure what the pricing will be on these custom dog houses, but I’m sure you can work on pricing with the designer.

I’ve been looking for a new home (a human home that is) for a few years now and I really like the architecture of this Craftsman Dog House (I’ve been actually looking at Eichler homes). Hopefully if I can find the right Eichler home I can commission my buddy to design a beautify mid-century modern Eichler doggy home for Stetson, Linus, and Adelle. First things first…I have to find a new home for me and the doggies. Wish us luck!

Are you looking for a custom dog house? If so, let us know what you’re looking for in the comment section below. What do you guys think about these custom craftsman doggy homes? Do you already have a dog house for you furry friends?

UPDATE: We heard that the pricing is going to be somewhere between $400-600 depending on the size of your dog. Here are some more pictures of this dog house. Also, I made some updates to the post as indeed this is a Craftsman Bungalow style dog house.

You can follow Colby at Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Google+

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