Mystyroch Kennel

Being a dog is a boring job; most of his life will be spent sleeping and waiting to be feed.  Chances are your dog is bored beyond belief.  Remember for your dog the laws of our society and our language is totally foreign to them.  They do not understand the commands, so therefore it is our responsibility to:-
Teach them our language.  Imagine yourself in similar situation and being severely punished because you did not speak the language.  This is what you do every time you correct your dog, before you have take time to teach him what the commands mean.  Teach first, once they understand; then we will correct misbehaving dogs.

Also you need to develop consistent set of goals (rules) for your household, if you wish to enjoy many years of companionship with your dog.  I have two simple basic sets of rules I follow while training  ---

“PET” – Pet Everywhere Thoroughly.  As pack members groom each other on a daily basis.  Remember that your dog does not think he is human, rather which you are a dog and a member of his or her pack.  And you have removed your pet from his pack, you are now the pack and responsible for all grooming.  To do this properly your pet should be brushed, handle over all parts of his body at least once a week; every day is by for far the best.  Handle every inch of their body so that when you need to care for them.  Handle the paws, between the pads.  Check for mats between the pads, as they can give your dog sore and infected paws if not looked after.  Check their teeth and gums for buildup, for soreness of the gums.  Basically give your dog a full body check for sore irritation, know your breed and keep a watch for any problems; in doing so you can prevent a lot of major vet bills.  Please remember no matter how good the breeder, dog are living, breathing creatures and therefor subject to all the perils that nature has to offer.

The second is “TLC’ – Tender Loving Care. TRUST LEADERSHIP CONFIDENCE.  Trust is when you have to help an injured dog and cause more pain – but they allow you to do so --; growl – yes; teeth snap – yes; but they submit to your care for they know you will help.  A rule of don’t touch when your dog is injure; is a very sad statement on the average person relationship with their pet.  Trust is a two way street, it is built on mutual caring and does not happen over night.  Trust is won through a consist ability to show your dog that you are thinking and caring for him always.  As hard as it is to establish, it is extremely easy to destroy and it can never be forgotten.  It is in constant need of renewal and support.  NO RELATIONSHIP IS EVER COMPLETE OR IS IT SPECIAL WITHOUT IT.   A trusting relationship requires consistency in your household rules and corrections your cog can understand.

Leadership inspires confidence in yourself while also enhancing your dog’s personal confidence.  You as the owner are responsible for bring out your dog’s strengths, and heading off the dog’s weakness, to motivate your dog by word and action.  For example the Tail Wagging Contest; all that is allowed is your voice to get a response.  His energy and confidence is contagious and your confidence will grow as you find that he responds.  As the owner and leader you must exude assurance and great expectations without making your dog a victims of high pressure.  Leadership is the connecting thread that is woven back and forth through the work you and your dog do together.  It’s an invisible thing and it doesn’t remain strong without your steady effort to enhance it.

Confidence is such an elusive intangible, and to do your best while training, you need to feel confident in yourself, in your dog, and in the strong relationship between you.  Your dog needs confidence in his ability and in you as his leader.  Confidence develops with the emotional bonding with your dog.  Your dog needs the belief in you that you will always do what is best and not allow harm to come it way.

The difference between a good dog & a bad dog is whether or not he makes his owners blood pressure rise when things go wrong.  As leader of the pack it is the owners obligation is to offer shelter, nutrition, medical attention, exercise, love, affection and training.  This will not work and you will not develop a relationship with your dog, if when trying to accomplish your leader obligation, all you feel is total frustration and angry.  You need to stop and take a good hard look at yourself and your dog; and figure out calmly what is going wrong between you and your canine companion.  Then take steps to correct it.  Obedience classes is not the answer to the problem, it is the building block which will enable you to correct the problem.  If a class cannot answer your major problem and you do not understand or know how to approach it, look into private classes, in conjunction with the regular class.  Problem solving is only as hard as the amount of time and work you wish to put in on your dog.



Rita Lillico
780-645-5917