If you are looking for the greatest gold-mine of easy to use "change your dog's behavior" advice ever crammed into a newsletter series then read on!
Also, make sure that you check out our 100% authentic testimonials from people who have bought Secrets to Dog Training and find out the massive difference it has made to their owner-dog relationship!
"Daniel, We bought your books to help us get to grips with our 4 year old German Shepherd Casey that we rescued. He was in a bad state and had some reasonably severe behavioural problems including continual pulling on the lead and more worryingly attacking other dogs. We had been battling Casey for a few months and had 'invested' hundreds of pounds in many training aids, none of which were making any difference.
Very quickly and for a lot less money we read your book and the theory started to make sense. We worked with him rather than against and assumed the position of alpha dog; things got easier and easier. He is now a joy to have around and is definitely enjoying his life a lot more, so much so that we have taken the leap and got another rescued German Shepherd for him to have some company. This time round we are armed with the right tools and life is a lot simpler. See what looks like any normal dog picture but to us is a minor miracle with Casey (on the left) and Sasha (on the right) in perfect harmony. Thanks again."
--Charlie, Casey and Sasha (United Kingdom)
Dear Daniel
We have purchased your book 2 months ago and found it good. However we still have a significant problem with our dog Bobby, in transport.
We got Bobby at age 4 months from the pound. He had been found by the pound in a rural part, so we conclude that he had a rough ride in the back of a utility vehicle where he may have been roughed up by other dogs in the vehicle.
He used to be sick in the car, now he is extremely anxious in the car, pants like mad, and will hide if he sees we are going out, and he is to come (e.g. if we pack up the campervan he comes away with us).
He avoids my car, a white station wagon, because we tried gently encouraging him into the back, and take him for a walk. Now he acts as if afraid of the car.
He has been a very submissive dog, and used to lie on his back all the time. Now we have followed your tips on submissive behavior, but he is still petrified of car, station wagon, and campervan transport.
Please can you help with any ideas?
Sean and Karen
Hi there Sean and Karen,
Thank you for your email regarding your dog Bobby and his current anxiety problems related to the car, the caravan and traveling. There are many reasons as to why Bobby may be having problems traveling at the moment and it could well have been due to a rough ride in a utility vehicle that has started this all off. The key with Bobby will be to take things VERY slowly. Deep rooted anxiety problems such as the one Bobby currently has, can be very difficult to correct in dogs. They require plenty of time and patience to correct, so beware of this before you get started in a treatment regime for him.
Firstly, ONLY ever take Bobby traveling if the end result is a happy and pleasant one. If possible, try and avoid taking him on the long, arduous camper van trips for the next few months. You really need to be taking him for short trips (5 – 10 minutes) in the car or station wagon to destinations that are 'rewards' to him. This means take him to the beach, the river, the local park. Only take him in the car when you are taking him to desirable place. This could make things difficult for you I guess if you have to take him to the Vet any time soon! Try and avoid a visit here for the next month or two if possible!! When you do take him to the car and lead him inside, be sure NOT to pander to him if he is acting submissively. If he is acting submissively you MUST ignore this behavior rather than react to it. You need him to see that it is NOT a good thing to act submissively at all. Many owners tend to tell their dogs it is OK and alright and pat them, but this only encourages a dog to act his way. Ignoring does the opposite. Once your dog is in the car and if he doesn't appear submissive or TOO concerned, give him HEAPS of praise and food treats for being a good boy. During the trip itself, it may be the fact that Bobby can see out of the car that makes him feel uncomfortable. For this reason, he may feel happier traveling with you in the car, if he is confined to a crate in the back seat or in the back of the station wagon. This will be up to you to decipher obviously, but for many dogs this is true. For other dogs, they become anxious when they CAN'T see where they're going. In these situations, you need to be able to allow Bobby to be able to see out the window. There are plenty of car accessories available for dogs to help them feel more comfortable and secure, ranging from seat belts and harnesses to crates. It may also be a good idea to spray DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone – available from most pet stores) in all of your vehicles to try and help calm Bobby's nerves when traveling.
Keep the rides short for the next couple of months and continue to make the destinations happy and rewarding. It will definitely take slow progressions to help Bobby get used to traveling. For this reason, try and put off any long camper van trips for a while, or put Bobby into a kennels if you have already planned to go away. With time, you can extend the length of the car trips, but always try and make the journey as fun and relaxed as possible and always be sure not to reward or pander to submissive or anxious behaviors.
Best of luck with Bobby and getting him used to traveling. I am sure that if you take things slowly and if you are consistent, that you will have every success with him. Please let us know how you get on.
Kind regards,
Daniel Stevens and the Secrets to Dog Training Team
"Secrets to Dog Training - STOP Dog Behavior Problems!"
I've been a professional dog trainer for well over 20 years, and in that time I've helped thousands of dog owners just like you to get the friendly, well behaved, slipper fetching, best pal they always wanted.
But it didn't start out that way. I've always loved dogs, some things never change. But when I first started my professional dog training career I relied on the so-called 'best practices' when it came to dog behavior training. It was only when I heard people tell me over and over again that they just weren't seeing results that I started to question the old accepted wisdom. So I started a journey, a quest to search out the best, most effective, techniques, tips, and tricks that really work.
And that's how I came up with Secrets to Dog Training. Year after year I found new techniques that achieved the results I wanted. Eventually I had a whole book worth of great resources: Secrets to Dog training...
So, if you want to:
Then Secrets to Dog Training is just what you've been looking for!
Previous newsletters
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 |34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
| 51 | 52 | 53 |54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 |