logo

Tag: puppy training tips

Tomorrow on King 5’s Evening Magazine! / Feature

A couple weeks ago, we were privileged to have Kim Holcomb from King 5 visit us here at the Puppy Manners’ ranch to film a special feature on dog therapy testing. Our friend, Diana, and her mushy-faced Beagle, “Frodo”, volunteered to be our “testers” and did a fantastic job showing the world what a therapy test looks like. Tomorrow night, the feature will air on Evening Magazine at 7PM PST. If you can’t watch it tomorrow, no worries! You can check it out on their Website after this Wednesday. We can’t wait to see how it turned out! Be sure to leave your comments if you watch it tomorrow! We’d love to know your thoughts!

Here are some photos* taken during filming. We’ll start with our “star” of the day.

*Photos taken by Carly Chaney.

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Becky & David Bishop
Comments (0)

King 5 Article / Feature

I feel so honored and thankful to be part of an amazing organization like Reading with Rover and to see it featured on King 5’s website is so exciting! It’s always a little nerve wrecking to see myself on camera but knowing that the RWR program is getting exposure and gaining attention is totally worth it! Check out the feature and then visit Reading with Rover to find out more about how you and your best doggie pal can get involved.

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Becky & David Bishop
Comments (0)

Meet my new puppy!

I realize this isn’t actually a photo of me and a puppy, but this is my “human puppy” and granddaughter, Reagan, age three. The comparisons between my little human puppy and a real puppy are amazing. For your convenience, I’ve put together my Top 10 list of similarities:

  1. She’s almost house broken. If I withhold liquid after 7PM, she can make it through the entire night without an “accident.” However, if she has a bit of Root Beer (or “Beet Brr”, as she likes to call it), I can guarantee she will need a “wee wee pad”, aka “Pull Ups”.
  2. She doesn’t eat the furniture, but I have caught her chewing on inappropriate objects. For example, pencil erasers, paper clips, and pennies.
  3. She’s a bit of a “resource guarder,” as she doesn’t like to share her HPGs (Hard Plastic Guys) and/or her “Chickens”, aka “chicken nuggets.” She actually growled at me the other day. I thought about squirting her with a water bottle but we thought a timeout would be more effective. It was.
  4. She doesn’t drink out of the toilet, but I did catch her splashing in it the other day. When I found her, she exclaimed rather bluntly, “I’m playing in your toilet!” Thank heavens for liquid sanitizer, although I have caught her drinking that too.
  5. Right now, her recall (“come here” command) needs some serious work. When she’s in the yard and I call her to come, she runs the other way. Eventually, I resort to shaking a bucket full of HPGs (again, Hard Plastic Guys) and she cannot resist and comes running. Like a cookie to a puppy, positive reinforcement is often the best solution.
  6. Something she’s getting better at on every outing is resisting the need to greet strangers because, as I have explained to her, not everyone loves being greeted with sticky hands or being licked on the face. On the other hand, I don’t want to squash her friendly spirit and sociability. There’s a fine line between keeping them social and not letting her end up someone else’s little puppy.
  7. A tired three-year-old is a well-behaved three-year-old. Sure, she gets a little cranky. But that doesn’t last long and then she falls asleep, usually in the middle of chewing on something, like a “binky” (pacifier) or, as I’ve mentioned, an HPG.
  8. She loves to jump on the bed and when you say “off”, she won’t do it.
  9. She loves to play with other puppies but she’s often guilty of having “third dog syndrome,” otherwise known as the peace keeper. She doesn’t like conflict, although that doesn’t apply within the context of her toys (see #3, regarding resource guarding).
  10. Above all else, the biggest similarity I’ve found between her and a puppy is her undying love, devotion, and loyalty. She truly lives in the moment, doesn’t care about the future, and doesn’t look back. I wish that would last forever.

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Becky & David Bishop
Comments (0)

Wow!

Time flies with the holidays quickly approaching! Not to mention, I’m still getting the hang of this blogging stuff—I never knew it was such hard work! You missed all of October (my fault, obviously!), so I don’t want you to miss out on November. So let’s recap!

Here at Puppy Manners, we’ve been pretty busy. While we just started the second week of our newest Group Training classes, our sweet girl, “Zoom”, just started her 13th week of rehabilitation from hip surgery. Only three more weeks to go! No one would ever know that she has an artificial hip. We’ve nicknamed her “Bionic Girl” and we believe it makes her the coolest dog ever. She’s feeling so good these days, we have to be especially careful to not let her run or jump, which she is very eager to do. At the end of this month, “Zoom” will get her final X-rays and we’ll finally receive the “all clear” for her to run, jump, play, and do what she loves—zoooooooooming around!

We received a huge response from our post about “Dusty”, who is still here and making progress. Of course, it is all on her time, not ours. But we are pleased to inform you that she is warming up to all of us. When she’s with our other boarding dogs, she now approaches the fence and offers a lick. She no longer runs for the hills when we approach and our youngest employee, Jamie, took her home for the weekend, where she did very well. She needs more in-house time with people, so we plan on bringing her in the house to hang with us as well. We also received her DNA blood test results which revealed that she is 52% Doberman, 12% Malamute, and 12%… Pekenese! Yeah, that last one seems crazy, but we won’t argue with science! No wonder she’s our odd little duck!

The “Howlidays” are quickly approaching and we are busy getting ready! It’s like a bed and breakfast for dogs, as we are “a buzz” with prepping the barn for our furry guests. This is the busiest time of year for us but it’s also the most fun. We love seeing our guests running through the “Dream Field” and then coming into to warm their toes by the heaters. If we could serve them hot chocolate, we would! It really is a magical season.

We recently had a foster dog named “Dodger” come to us but he lucked out and already found a new home! He’s an older dog so we were so excited when a really nice family with five acres came along to adopt him. They have horses, cows, pigs, and a St. Bernard buddy to romp along the fields. We are always SO happy when the perfect family comes along for a sweet and well-deserved dog.

Meanwhile, we have another foster dog, “Shadow”, who is looking for a home! She is a field-bred black Labrador. She went to drug sniffing school but she dropped out. Seems that “Shadow” likes to look for things rather than sniff them out! She will make a great companion to someone active and on-the-go. She is going through rigorous puppy training here and will be a wonderful family dog, especially if that family enjoys activities like going to the park, camping, or bike rides together.

Well that’s all I have time to update you with today. I promise to do better in the coming weeks. There are some things I’ve been wanting to blog about, like Therapy Testing, some more basic obedience tips, as well as a special feature on our youngest and most animated dog, “Harry Plotter.” Stay tuned for those posts, coming up fast!

And because blog posts are always better with a photo—Here’s a great one of former foster dog “Dodger”, which was taken by our new pet photography friend, Cyndi T., who came to visit us all the way from Tennessee! And be sure to check out the blog post she wrote about our “kids”! Isn’t “Dodger” a sweetheart??

Posted on November 5, 2010 by Becky & David Bishop
Comments (1)

Training Tip / Door Manners

Why, hello there, Blog Readers! Zoom here!

Many of you know me from your Puppy Manners class and others know me from Reading with Rover! Of course, everyone knows that I’m the hardest working dog at the ranch yet! Recently, I had hip replacement surgery and I’ve had some more “down” time than usual. When I went to the blog to see what’s new, I was shocked when I didn’t find my own Feature! So I’ve hijacked the blog and I’m gonna share a BIG Training Tip with you today!

Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of pups (young and old) jumping on their moms and dads and even worse, jumping on the friends of their moms and dads! I’ll be honest and say I used to be that pup just a few years ago! But after lots of hard work and practice, I totally know what I’m supposed to do! So how can you teach your puppies to be like me?

First off—Don’t let your puppy be a “door greeter” for now. Did you know that even Wal-Mart greeters go to greeter school for two weeks before they can greet any customers? Greeting is an art form and you have to practice to get good! Being a proper greeter takes time, maturity, patience, and most of all, consistency. The doorway is a “happy zone” in a family’s house as people come in with high pitched voices and we dogs think it’s ALL about us and how much you adore and love us! We don’t really “get it” when people hug, laugh, and get happy when inviting guests to come in. Seriously, we just think you’re happy to see US, the DOGS! So give us a little break… When the door bell rings or someone knocks, quietly and calmly take your puppy to their designated rug, crate, or gated area until all the guests are inside the house and excitement levels have gone down a notch. When everyone is seated, feel free to let your puppy back into the room but keep the leash on and let your guests greet in a more controlled area of the house. Things will be SO much easier for your puppy if you simply avoid, for now, letting them be a door greeter. But believe me, it’s not forever! It’s just until your puppy improves with practice!

Also consider tethering your puppy, allowing your guests to go to him/her on their own terms. Let your guests tell your puppy to “sit” or “down” and AFTER the puppy has complied, your guests should reward with the treat and proper pets! If the puppy jumps, guests simply need to walk away and the tether will keep your puppy in control. This helps your guests to be better trainers (instead of the “anti-trainer” they usually are!) and it sets your puppy up for success! “Will work for food!” is never more true to your puppy until something like this!

Trust me when I say that there is HOPE for your puppy! I used to be a terrible jumper and I loved nipping at hands. I pulled at sleeves and clothing and all my bad habits went away when I stopped being First at the door! Before Mom would answer the door, she would grab my leash and place me on my rug, give me a bone to chew on and then she’d tether me before any guests came in. As I got older and more mature, I was given more privilege and was even allowed to greet people when they first came through the door! Privilege is like getting your driver’s license! It’s not a right, its a privilege you earn and your puppy has to earn their way to front door.

As you all know, I’m a great dog (and humble, too)! You may not think that I see your adoring stares in class, the envy in your puppy’s eyes, the compliments… But you have to know that I’ve come a long way. My mom and dad always tell people about how I was the last pick of the litter and as much as it pains me to hear, I really was the last one to go. Boy, did I get lucky and I’m forever grateful to those families that turned me down because I really was meant to be a Bishop.

Remember, you don’t always get the dog you want, but you always get the dog you need. The challenges you face with your puppy are just opportunities to learn about yourself and grow as individuals! Embrace it, learn from it, and move forward!

Enjoy this clip from our recent Star-Barks 101 class where Mom talks about proper door manners and shows how your guests can use their body language to stop dogs from jumping on them or other unwanted behavior.

Puppy Manners Blog – Door Greeting from Becky&Dave Bishop on Vimeo.

Have a great weekend! And stay tuned for more tips like these in the future! Email questions and Training Tip suggestions to info@puppymanners.com!

*Photos provided by Carly Chaney.

Posted on August 27, 2010 by Becky & David Bishop
Comments (0)