Question: Dog Afraid Of Water
“Our 1 ½ year-old German Shorthair Pointer has a water phobia. His mother loves the water, and water doesn’t seem to bother the others that were in the litter. My dog’s pedigree (mostly champions) shows Duals and Field Champions so the problem isn’t there. Our dog is trained, but the water thing is embarrassing. Any advice?”

Answer:
In researching your question through various top field trainers, interestingly enough we found out that the issue your dog has is not all that unique. We found that many of the field champions of today started out being afraid of water. Properly handled, 99 percent of such dogs can overcome the problem.

You should start by introducing your dog to an area of water that does not have a severe drop-off, such as a beach or lake with a gradual slope. With the leash and collar attached, you should get into the water first to about your knees.

While working with your dog to overcome his problem, you should always be in the water with him. You should act the same as you would if you were introducing swimming to a small child; that is, gentle encouragement, lots of praise, and confidence building. You must be persistent, though; exposing the dog to water once a week isn’t enough.

Question: How To Become A Trainer
“Could you tell me how I can go about becoming a professional dog trainer? I have trained a few dogs, but none for shows. I love dogs and I want to make my training my profession, but just don’t know how to go about it. I have 4-H experience in dog care and training, am 18 years old, and would really like to get started.

Answer:
“Our suggestion would be that you first get a group of your 4-H people and their dogs together and form a small class. And since you probably have put in many hours reading training books and publications then you should focus entirely on dog obedience training manuals, especially when it comes to trouble dogs. The information contained in such books and videos is enough to get anyone started on their way to becoming a dog trainer.

I must caution you though, that just knowing how to train dogs isn’t enough to enable you to turn “pro.” You must become knowledgeable in the field of canine behavior, canine nutrition, preventative medicine, canine physiology, canine psychology, etc.

You must learn the capabilities as well as the limitations of the canine. You must learn elements of business administration, as well as how to teach people – a good dog trainer must also be a good “people teacher”. A lot of this will come from experience, but much of it must also come from studying books and videos. Watch and read every single piece of material that you can get your hands on – and good luck!

1. Dog Pannus And Obedience Trainer Lessons

Question: Dog Pannus (An Inherited Health Defect)
“My daughter-in-law is blind and has a seeing eye dog. The other day, I noticed her dog’s eyes looked a little filmy. Two veterinarians both agree it was pannus. They gave her drops to put in three times a day for the rest of the dog’s life.”

“Could you tell me what pannus is, is it contagious to other dogs, and is there any way to determine loss of sight, if any? Can it be operated on? The veterinarians just didn’t seem to have the answers”

Answer:
Pannus is an inherited defect that can occur in any breed but is seen most often in German Shepherds and Boxers. A network of blood vessels are growing over the cornea of the dog’s eye. This will normally be followed by other membranes growing over the eyes with connective tissues growing between the corneal epithelium and the stroma.

Depending upon the age of the dog, an operation is possible. In such an operation, a small electric needle is used to remove the obstructing membranes, tissues, and blood vessels, shutting off the flow of certain vessels to the eye. The purpose of the eye drops you have been given is to prevent secondary infections from developing and to keep the eyeball moist.

Question: Ignoring My Commands
“I am attending an obedience class conducted by a proficient and talented trainer, but still have a problem with my dog which I consider to be very embarrassing. On heeling, for example, my dog does not pay attention: he forges, he sniffs, and acts as if I’m not even at the other end of the leash. The instructor often comes over and takes my dog and you just wouldn’t believe the difference. It’s almost as if it were two different dogs!”

“For the instructor, my dog will perform perfectly, and it makes me proud to watch the two of them work together. But when the instructor hands me back my dog, it’s back to the old antics again. I don’t understand it, but it proves that my dog does know what to do – for the trainer, but not for me. Any suggestions?”

Answer:
The next time the trainer takes your dog to demonstrate, watch the trainer and not the dog! Watch what the trainer is doing, and how it’s being done. Pay particular attention to his footwork, the way he holds the leash, the timing of his corrections, and how he talks to your dog while working.

I would guess that you lack a most important ingredient – and that would be confidence. If you have no confidence in yourself or your dog, your dog will pick up that feeling and act accordingly. Also, your personality is perhaps weaker than that of your dog; this too can be “picked up” by your dog and he won’t be confident of you leading him during obedience lessons.

1. Fear Of Water And How To Become A Dog Trainer
2. Graduated Obedience Class But Still Not Educated & The Ole Touchy Feet Syndrome

Bell Ringing Craziness
Our family owns a six-year-old Wirehaired Fox Terrier. Whenever the phone rings and someone goes to answer it, she starts barking incessantly, runs after the person, and jumps up on them. Sometimes, she even bites that person! She seems to bark at any kind of bell ringing. Why does she do this, and what can be do to stop this craziness?

Sometimes a particular dog’s reaction to certain external stimulus is hard to determine. Some dogs react violently to thunder, some to sirens, and others to a simple automobile horn. Dog psychiatrists have written about this syndrome. They inform us that your terrier may relate bell ringing to something adverse that could have happened a long time ago. For example, he may have been inadvertently stepped on while someone was rushing to answer the phone.

Regardless of the reasons for his reaction to bell ringing, it certainly can be controlled, just as a dog who is gun shy can be conditioned to overcome his phobia. The quickest way to overcome this situation is to have someone ring your telephone at prearranged times; say, at 5 to 10 minute intervals.

When the bell rings, don’t jump up and run to the phone as most people do. Just relax and calmly give your dog a treat, something he really enjoys, such as a piece of liver, beef jerky, or her favorite snack. After a while, your dog will hear the phone ring and feel excited and happy, associating the sound with a treat instead of something terrible, the same conditioning that Russian scientist “Pavlov” had discovered.

The Dog Who Decided Not To Listen
I taught my dog basic commands such as heel, stay, come, down, and sit. On any of these commands, he will do them all perfectly so long as we are in the house or in the backyard, which is enclosed by a fence. But once I left the gate open accidentally, and he wandered just outside of it, he would not respond to any of my commands. Stop, Sit, Stay…. nothing worked. It was like my dog was purposefully ignoring me. Is this normal? Where did I go wrong?

It is not unusual for a dog to discover that you cannot make a correction if a leash is not attached or there is an obvious way to exit the premises (in your case the open gate from the backyard). This is usually brought about by giving commands to your dog when you are in no position to correct for disobedience.

Dog owners who usually attend basic obedience classes are usually flabbergasted to see their dog respond to the basic commands of heel, stay, down, and sit while in training. Sometimes these same dog owners want to show off just a little to their friends or neighbors, so they try to do the obedience exercises without benefit of leash and training collar. The dog learns that without those particular “tools”, his owner is helpless to correct for disobedience. Your only solution is to take your dog on into advanced training, that is, where everything is accomplished off-leash.

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Graduated But Not Educated
My Boxer is a 1-year old male and he really makes a fool out of himself whenever someone comes to the door, or if anyone gets near him for that matter. He jumps in the air, wipes his saliva all over their clothes, and runs in circles around my guests. He does this to everyone who goes near him and, as I said, makes a complete fool of himself and also of me because I have had him attend a 10 week obedience class. Since he is friendly to everyone, he makes a very poor watchdog and a boxer is supposed to be noted for being an excellent watchdog. What should I do?

If your dog completed an entire 10 week obedience school, there should be no doubt in your mind that he knows the requirements of the basic commands such as sit, stay, down, heel, and come. Do you give him the command “sit” or “down” or “stay” during these overly friendly rampages of his? If not, then why not? If you do, does he ignore your commands? If so, do you correct them instantly, and equally important, properly?

The problem here may not be with the boxer at all, but with you and/or the obedience school in which you attended. Your dog should not have been graduated without having demonstrated the necessary degree of owner control in all of these types of situations. Some retraining may be in order, or perhaps you should re-examine your method of correcting for disobedience.

One of the best methods of gearing down a high-geared dog is by placing them in a “sit” or “stay” command, and then introduce a distraction and a temptation to see how the dog reacts. If he jumps up quickly and is distracted easily, then having him retrained with a better obedience school would be something that could help.

And as far as expecting your boxer dog to be “an excellent watchdog”, you have to understand that although specific characteristics do run common in particular breeds, no two dogs are like. In many cases, the watchdog instinct must be brought to the fore by proper training. Your dog may be a great watchdog but it needs to come out with training instead of just expecting it.

Touchy Feet Problems
How would I deal with a dog who is unduly sensitive about his feet? My one-year-old Chihuahua was ready to bite me the other day when I tried to wash off his muddy feet! Needless to say, we had a bit of a battle. The thing is, he doesn’t give me any trouble when I bathe him, but when it comes to his feet, he growls and snaps at my hand. I understand that this is not uncommon behavior but I worry about the day in which I have to trim his claws for the first time. How can I progress with easy steps to the point where he will allow me to handle his feet? I am already enrolled in obedience classes with him as well.

The fact that you are enrolled in obedience training will make your job a lot easier. You will need the full cooperation of your class trainer. Suggest that he carry a few tidbits in his pocket and each time he gets to the foot area of your Chihuahua, present him with the treat. If he is the kind of instructor who frowns on treats during training, let him know that you want to condition your dog to associate his feet being handled with that of the joy of a dog treat.

Remember, dogs learn by associating their actions with pleasing or displeasing results. The pleasing result of a treat while having his feet examined will go a long way towards overcoming this problem. If your instructor does not agree with this fact, find another trainer.

1. Dog Pannus And Obedience Trainer Lessons

Question: Too Much Shedding!
“I have always taken great pains with the care and grooming of my Siberian Husky, making sure that he is immaculate at all times. But when I brushed him today though, I got two full buckets of hair. I know dogs are supposed to shed, but never have I seen anything like this. He actually looks bald! Can you tell me why?”

Answer:
As they say in life, you can overdo any good thing. If you keep him “immaculate at all times” then I would assume that his diet is also the very best, probably supplemented with vitamins and minerals that his system really doesn’t need.

This happens all too often. Owners who have nothing but good intentions run out and try to do everything possible to make sure their dogs and puppies are in good health. They buy all of the supplements, they attempt dog training from every angle possible, and they just plain go overboard on care – often mentally or emotionally debilitating the animal is some way.

But I digress – about the shedding issue, these types of haircoat problems can usually be traced to one of the following three causes:

1) Parasites
2) Dietary deficiencies
3) Hormonal imbalances

Only a veterinarian can properly diagnose which of these three things may be causing your dog’s problem. Schedule an appointment immediately and be sure to write a detailed list of all supplements and food intake that your dog has had over the last several months.

Question: Why Rabbit Pellets Can Cure The Feces-Eating Dog
“Some time ago I picked up a magazine article in the latest issue of Dog World and a man wrote in to the editor that he was having a severe problem with his dog eating feces. This man’s pet would literally eat feces from any animal at any time. The magazine suggested that he feed his dog rabbit pellets.”

“Well amazingly I had to try this same advice when my 2-year old Chihuahua started this same disgusting habit. And guess what? It worked! Now I’ve just got to find out exactly why it worked. I’ve asked as many as four different veterinarians and none can tell me why. Can you help?”

Answer:
When a dog eats feces, it is generally an indication that a certain mineral is lacking in the dog’s diet. This can be the case regardless of what the dog is fed or how good you consider his nutrition to be. The same is true of dogs who eat cement or occasionally, dirt. The chlorophyll inside the dog’s body is converted into more complex substances and stored. Some dogs, however, eat their own stools out of boredom and not from a mineral deficiency. Rabbit pellets are not a magical solution, but you just happen to find something that contains a substance that your dog needs – the rabbit pellets. Just don’t go overboard on them and try to discuss this with a canine nutritional expert.

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