The Dish by Darcie

Oliver, our newest rescue puppy, loves swimming. And he loves his blue Wubba. We throw it out into the lake as far as we can and he powers out to get it, bringing it back for another throw. Over and over and over. He does not get tired. I am so amazed that he has recovered so quickly from his slow start in life. Raw food is a miracle.

The Wubba gets a little water logged after about fifteen throws but it doesn’t sink. Oliver swims directly to it even when it rides a little low in the water. I squeeze out as much water as I can and throw it again.

Oliver loves to play tug with me a little bit when he brings the Wubba back. Then he gives it to me and gets ready for another throw. He’s so funny.

Today we were all soaking wet at the end of play time. Dancer, who is a great help in the water, she does not like to swim. Tilli, who chases her ball in the shallow water. Frankie, who loves to swim but we don’t send her out as far as Oliver can go yet. She’s only just four months old now. And Oliver and me.

Life is good.

Dear Darcie, I was shocked to find out that PetCo and PetSmart both sell electric shock collars to “train” dogs and “eliminate problem behavior”, and as I looked around, so do all the other pet stores. I guess I just never noticed, I feel so bad about that. I’d been doing some of my business with them but no more. I am guilty of using a shock collar years ago. My poor dog, she was a mass of nerves and never really recovered from my shocking her. Thank you, Darcie and SitStay.com, for not carrying anything that will hurt a dog including metal collars. My money is with you. I won’t support the stores sell things that can hurt dogs. I just wanted you to know. Emily

Dear Emily,

Yes, in the hands of those who are less than experts (that includes most of us), shock collars can do a lot of damage to a dog. Even the experts have been known to ruin a good dog with a badly timed shock. The dogs never quite recover mentally or emotionally, do they? I agree with you, using a shock collar is not worth the chance that your dog will never trust you again.

You might like to tell your friends that if they want to know what it’s like to wear a metal collar, put one on. Wear it out in the sun. “But my dog has a fur coat to protect him from the metal.” Really? Okay, put on a fur coat and a metal collar and then wear them in the sun. Then have somebody attach a leash to the collar and jerk on it for you. From your dog’s perspective, it’s no fun either. So much damage has been done to dog neck bones and spines with metal collars. Nobody thinks about that. I mean, it’s just dog training, isn’t it?

As I always say, people have the right to make money any way they want to. I choose to make my money without hurting a single dog.

I know that people vote for their favorite stores with their wallets. Thank you for voting for SitStay.com. We won’t let you or your dog down.

SitStay.com is where you find Good for Your Dog Supplies.

Thanks again,

Darcie

Puppies and dogs who are calm during a greeting are a real pleasure to meet.

Puppies should sit for greetings, that’s a very good start to being a happy dog.

You might like your older dog to stand to greet or sit to greet. Either way, the front feet have to be on the floor before they get any attention. It’s up to you whether you want your older dog to sit or stand. I like both and ask for both of my dogs. Older dogs can’t sit easily if their hips are wearing out or hurting, standing still happily is just fine.

Dogs do love to be close to our faces. You have to tell them how to get to your face with your body language. Do not look at the dog until the feet are on the floor. (Okay, you do have to look to see but you know what I mean, don’t acknowledge the dog by looking at his face and eyes.) Front feet have to be on the floor before you squat or kneel down to pet him. Control the dog from jumping back up with a thumb through the collar. Praise quietly and rub his chest or neck.

How do you keep a dog’s feet on the floor when you’re greeting him in a sit? You don’t greet or pet, no attention at all, until the butt is on the floor. Those front feet have to be on the floor, too. If he gets up, your attention goes away.

Do not push the dog with your hands and arms, that is doggie invitation to play. Turn your back or simply cross your arms and turn your head away.

Have your friends and family help. Lots and lots of them, over and over and over again. No petting or attention, don’t even look at him if the dog jumps up but as quickly as that butt and front feet are on the floor, greet the dog quietly.

A big no no unless you want the dog to go away: Don’t pat him on top of the head. Dogs don’t like that. To understand why, have someone you know pat you on on top of your head several times. Now have a stranger do it. That really doesn’t feel good no matter who does it, does it? Now have them scratch you gently behind your ear. Ah, that’s the ticket. It even feels good when the stranger does it unless you get the feeling that he’s liking it waaaayyy too much. Ooo, creepy.

Train your dog to sit on verbal command and with a sit gesture. At my house the gesture is a simple closed fist with tops of fingernails facing the ground, thumb tucked onto fingers.

The best thing you can do for your dogs and your guests is to get a good and immediate sit before greeting.

Clicker training is the fast way I know to train dogs. Train the trick, fade the treats and the clicker away. It won’t take you more than seven minutes to train anything with a clicker. Then be consistent and practice for a solid performance every time.

(Some would have you believe that clicker training means that your dog is training you to feed him. They don’t know how clicker training works, they’re full of hot air. Don’t listen to them. Try it for yourself, you and your dog will be happy that you did.)