Tag Archives: dog breeds

Benefits of Dog Training in Your Home

Posted on by
Reply

Highland Canine offers both private lessons and in-home dog training for the convenience of keeping your dog at home. Clients that sign up for private lessons meet with our trainers once a week for about an hour. During this hour we put together a game plan for developing more structure in your house and each week our dog trainers teach you a new command and work on certain behaviors that may be disrupting your household. You as a client will be responsible for homework between your lessons! Our in-home dog training programs allow our busy clients the satisfaction of knowing their dog is learning in the pleasure of their own home. Even if the dog owner’s are at work or on vacation! This program works much like a pet-sitter, we schedule times and days to come by and work with your dog one on one. You have the flexibility to observe/participate at each lesson or wait towards the end of the training program to see your results and learn how to maintain your training. Our dog trainers make sure that you have all of the tools and knowledge you need to maintain the training of your dog. As with all of our dog training programs we offer free follow up training for the life of the dog, and we give advice by phone or email anytime!

In-kennel dog training is great, but sometimes we just don’t see the behaviors and behavior problems that you may see at home. This offers you and your family a custom training program to work on these behavioral issues. Examples of problem behaviors include: barking and/or lunging at visitors at the front door, nipping at children when they run around the house, fence fighting with the neighbor’s dogs; chewing up furniture/windows, aggression between multiple pets, leash aggression when walking in public or around your neighborhood, potty training/marking issues, moderate to severe shyness with visitors, digging or destroying the yard. These are just a few of the dog problems we see and work with to help you get your household back on track!

Our professional dog trainer’s here at Highland Canine Training have had extensive training and experience in the areas of problem solving and are prepared to handle any breed. We feel that the majority of problems that arise from dogs in their home environment come from an error or lack of communication from the pet owners. It is our job to assist you and get you and your family in the habit of learning to speak dog!

Another benefit of private lessons is that we are actually teaching you how to train your own dog. These dog training techniques can be applied to your next dog or pet, so the investment can last a lifetime! Highland Canine Training currently has trainers located in cities of North Carolina including; Lake Norman, Lake Wiley, Statesville, Troutman, Huntersville, Mooresville, Matthews, Newton, Conover, Lenoir, Granite Falls, and Lake Hickory. We also have contractors that cover areas in and around Atlanta, Georgia including Marietta and in and around Tampa, Florida. Call us today to set up your free evaluation!

Can my dog do Rally O?

Posted on by
Reply

We have had many of our clients asking if Rally O is breed specific like for example Shutzhund Training/Trials? The answer is no, absolutely not! We had the pleasure of attending a Rally O trial in Durham, North Carolina over the weekend and there were dogs of all shapes, colors, and sizes; which in my opinion was refreshing to see. The competition included breeds such as the border collie (and border collie mixes), terriers, Retrievers, and your non-specific pounds puppies!

My advice to pet owners who are looking to pick up a hobby with thier dog, is to give Rally O a try. You may have a large breed dog like a Great Dane or St. Bernard, and no you may not be the fastest in the bunch, but look how much fun you could have for simply completing the course w/ little or no error! Obviously, your collie breeds usually rule the trials when it comes to competion obdience and agility, but that is not always true. This weekend we saw a Golden Retriever take top prize and a few Aridale Terriers place well too!

Rally O is perfect for large and small breeds, so don’t let size and shape determine if you pick up this hobby with your four-legged friend. Highland Canine is now offering both group classes and private lessons in both the Charlotte and Statesville,North Carolina areas to prepare you for Rally O events, so don’t hesitate to call our trainers and set up an evaluation to move you in the right direction with your training. Rally O events are held all year round throughout the state of North Carolina so we hope to take you and your dog to the next level and see you there!

What is a Therapy Dog?

Posted on by

What is a Therapy Dog?

Therapy dogs function to help people in emotional and physical ways. They do this by using their instincts and social learned skills. Therapy dogs provide affection and comfort to children and adults in mental institutions, hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes and homes for children with special needs.

Who Benefits From Therapy Dogs?

People with Alzheimer’s disease, learning disabilities, and individuals whose minds wander such as those with ADD/ADHD and dementia can all benefit from interacting with a therapy dog. By providing a focal point to help them focus on the here and now, they can be more productive in any task or activity in which they are involved. Therapy dogs can be used to teach a child’s lesson. Playing with the dog can be a reward for finishing homework or problem solving. The handler and the dog can use retrieving and scent discrimination to help children name colors, add numbers, spell words and work on physical skills.

Maintaining good morale in a facility can be difficult. Therapy dogs change this by causing people to gather and concentrate on the dog. The change in the environment brightens everyone’s day. Life in a facility is routine, which can lead to inactivity, depression and boredom. The routine quickly changes when the Therapy dog and Handler come into the facility by providing social stimulation. People begin to talk with the therapy dog handler, to the therapy dog and amongst themselves. Often people who will not come out of their rooms will venture out to visit with the dog and handler. This social stimulation increases as people get to know the dog and soon they anticipate the visit.

People sometimes lose the ability or desire to speak. Therapy dogs can learn to communicate with people that others can’t reach. This communication from the dog can help a person find a bridge back to speech. Some people in care facilities do not have healthy relationships with family or staff. Others may be uncomfortable with hugging or touching strangers or staff. Therapy dogs enjoy the petting and hugging they receive and encourage it. Their enjoyment makes people want to pet and stroke them which meets the need for physical touch.
Children learn much more from a trained therapy dog than from a dog at home no one has the time to train. Through therapy dogs children learn the best of dog behavior.

Everyone benefits from a well trained therapy dog, including the handler. Working with your dog to provide needed benefits in your community through therapy dog visits will keep you upbeat and in touch with those who need you.

What Breeds Are Best Suited for Therapy Work?

There are dogs from every breed and size serving as therapy dogs. Shepherds, Collies, Great Danes, Mastiffs as well as Poodles, Labs and Boxers. The breed does not matter, temperament does. A therapy dog needs to be stable, reliable and controllable. Chihuahuas, Miniature Pinschers, Pomeranians, Bishons, just to name a few small dogs make excellent therapy dogs that can sit on a lap or on a bed. Terriers, because they are lively, can be used in group homes for children. Their playfulness provides exercise, companionship and lots of fun. Male or female, large or small, purebred or mixed breed, providing the dog is well trained with a good disposition, becoming a therapy dog is achievable.

How Can I Find Out If My Dog Can Be A Therapy Dog?

Before attending a therapy dog class your dog should know how to Sit, Down and Stay. Attending an obedience class will help if your dog does not know these commands. You should have your dog evaluated to determine his/her friendliness to all people, friendliness to other dogs and to determine how you and your dog interact.

Should I buy a Puppy or Adopt An Older Dog For Therapy Work?

An important trait in therapy dog work is defensiveness which begins to emerge around the time of puberty. A dog high in defensiveness may be skittish and panic under stress. This type of dog, even with training, may experience more stress around strangers and strange environments. With the right handler, training, and if the dog has a quick recovery time the dog has a better chance to do therapy work. These things can not be evaluated in a very young puppy. Temperament testing for puppies can help a little, but there is always the possibility that the puppy may not be suited for therapy work. If therapy dog work is a priority, you may consider using an adult dog you already own, or you may consider adopting an adult dog. Adult dogs bond with humans as strongly as puppies do.

The Pursuit..Dog Training as a Career!

Posted on by

There is no time like the present to get started on a new career , start your own business, or simply do what you love everyday. Many people adore our four-legged friends and are intersted in pursuing a career in the dog training industry. My advice, is to go for it, there is plenty of business for everyone!

The first step is to decide which area of dog training is most interesting for you; is simply pet dog training (basic obedience and advanced obedience), behavior modification, agility, rally sports, herding, puppy training, therapy dog training, working dogs (police, detection, protection, Search and Rescue). The second area you should work on is deciding how you want to work your schedule or run your business. If you are the person who wants a little more freedom, then private lessons and group classes would be the area to focus on. However if you want the consistency of an everyday schedule, in-kennel training may be a better choice for you as a dog trainer.

Next you should narrow down a few schools that interest you, and go personally visit the site. You can get more out of personal visit than a telephone call; meeting the people you would be working and learning from can help you decide if you are a good fit for that particular school or environment. After a quick visit you can decide how much time you want to put into your career. For example, you could choose a 6 week program or tough it out and sign up for the 12 week program (which will allow you more experience by putting your hands on different breeds of dogs with different behaviors).

At Highland Canine Training we offer teaching for all the above areas of dog training. Students are able to combine classes and learn as much about as many areas of dog training as they can obsorb. Students who are just starting out,often sign up for obedience courses, but are also interested in protection courses; as a student you are able to take the both courses parallel for the length of time you wish to attend (6-12 weeks). Highland Canine also offers custom classes to fit your lifestyle. Many of our students also work full or part-time, have families, layed-off, or simply live out of state; we are able accomadate their schedules to help them earn the certification they are striving for!

Many students ask how they can gain experience after their school is finished and they are building their book of business? The answer is simple, pro-bono work with local shelter and rescue groups is the easiest way to gain experience and give back to your communities and the animals. Now more than ever, family pets are suffering because; people are surrendering their family pets at rescue groups or pounds because they are moving (leaving animals behind), have no time for the dog, or simply don’t like the dogs and will not take the time to place them in a proper home or work on fixing behaivor issues. Rescue groups will return the favor and referr business to you so everyone wins!

Finally, many people want to become dog trainer’s so they don’t have to work with people. That is not the case, the wonderful dogs usually belong to people and you must be able to communicate effectively with the owners to first off, diagnose the problem (if any), then teach dog owner’s how to work with their dogs! At Highland Canine Training we involve our students in the initial drop off of client dogs, what questions to ask the oweners, how to perform at both private lessons and group class settings, and how to teach the pet owner’s to work with their dogs and complete the “Go Home.”

If you think becoming a dog trainer may be in your near future, please give us a call or better yet stop by for a visit ,and we would be happy to introduce you to the wonderful world of dogs!

That Barking Dog Is Driving Me Crazy

Posted on by

We don’t understand all of the reasons dogs bark, we just know it is irritating and we want them to “BE QUIET.” We get angry and yell at them and sometimes we resort to punishing them. Instead of behaving this way we need to take the time to understand what they are trying to tell us.

Like us, dogs have a language and barking is part of that language. With a little understanding and proper training we can solve the barking problem.

Barking can be classified as follows:
1. Excitement Barking
2. Warning Barking
3. Fear Barking
4. Guard Barking
5. Frustration Barking
6. Learned Barking

We have heard all 6 of these barks, but probably didn’t pay much attention to the differences.

Excitement barking is usually a series of high pitched barks and a lot of body movement. The warning bark is a quick low sounding bark. It sounds like the word “woof.” Fear barking is high pitched and like excitement barking it comes in a long series of barks. Unlike excitement barking which sounds happy, fear barking sounds like the dog is becoming hysterical.

Guard barking is easy to recognize. The dog will growl then bark. The barking may be one or two or even three times followed by another growl. We have all heard frustration barking. That’s the one that drives us crazy. It is the endless bark bark bark bark bark bark that seems to go on forever. And of course, learned barking is the bark that your dog does to get your attention. The dog will bark and then turn to look at you knowing that some type action will take place. Most of us have reinforced that behavior unknowingly.

So the next time you think a barking dog is aggressive, dominant, or is just being a pain in the neck don’t get angry, instead take a moment to listen.

Choosing The Right Breed For You

Posted on by

Sonny is a beautiful 6 month old Siberian Huskey who came to live with me because his owner said he was too aggressive and dominant (he pulled on the leash, and twisted and nipped when his owner tried to put his collar on).   The owner had made plans to have Sonny put to sleep.  I convinced the owner to surrender Sonny to me.   We talked and I found out  he is not an active person and  taking the dog for a long walk or a jog was out of the question.   He didn’t  want to take the time to correct the pulling,  instead he put a harness on the dog and when that didn’t work he claimed the dog was too strong for the harness and labled this as being dominant.   He did not correct the jumping because he felt the “dog kisses” were cute.  That is until he was “muzzle punched”  instead of “kissed” one day.     He admitted he  knew nothing of the Huskey breed and that he purchased Sonny from a pet store.   He chose Sonny because he was such  pretty puppy.  If he had done his research he would have learned Huskies like to run or walk long distances.  They are extremely playful and mischievous.  Training requires firmness and patience.  Huskies  jump on people,  they roam, they howl and can be destructive when left alone.  Obviously, Sonny was the wrong dog for this particular owner.

 I worked with him for two weeks and found him to be loving, playful and more than ready to work.   He did have  bad habits though.   He did pull on the leash, and yes, he hated to  have his collar put on.  He also liked to jump up and lick my face.  Sonny also howled when he was lonely.    I corrected the pulling and the jumping, and taught him to like his collar.  Spending more time with him  corrected the howling. 

  Choosing a dog is more than falling in love with the cute “take me home” face staring at you behind the glass window.  Before purchasing or adopting a pet an owner to be should take the time to evaluate their lifestyle, personality type, free time, interests and finances.  Is a big dog best, or would a smaller dog fit the bill.  What about children?  Can a puppy be raised with a small child or a baby in the house? 

After answering these questions it time to research the various breeds.  Research the breed’s temperament, likes and dislikes. You will learn which breeds shed a lot, which breeds don’t shed at all, which dogs can co-exist with children and which dogs work best for protection.   

Before you listen to someone who works in a pet store, or fall for a pretty face behind a plate of glass, make sure you have done your homework. 

Oh, I was able to find Sonny a new home on a farm with lots of animals, space and a family that likes to hike and stay active.  If you have any questions regarding particular breeds for your family or lifestyle, please feel free to give us a call or email we will be happy to assist in these big decisions!