Tony's Tidbits will be a "mostly" monthly article filled with "hopefully" amusing, interesting and useful information about almost everything to do with your pets!

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5 TIPS FROM CESAR MILAN

Celebrity dog trainer Cesar Milan had a great article recently in his new magazine Cesar's Way. As a trainer he points out that it is the owners behavior that usually leads to unwanted behavior by their pet. In his article he lists the five worst habits that can ruin the relationship you have with your dog:

1. Treating your dog like a child and not a dog! - Dogs want to be and behave like dogs. They want to run, chase things and use their nose to track. Unlike children, dogs are pack animals and need structure and discipline to feel fulfilled. There is nothing wrong with showering your dog with love but they also need exercise and discipline along with affection.

2. Your dog is bored. - Dogs are bred to work and when they don't have a purpose or a job to do they get bored. When they get bored, they get destructive and sometimes aggressive. Granted most of us don't live on a farm or have jobs that our dogs can assist us with. Some tips from Cesar include going for walks with a backpack on your dog or creating obstacle courses to let them use their scent tracking abilities. The most important tip in keeping your dog from being bored is exercise, exercise, exercise!

3. Are you the pack leader? - Cesar stresses that being a pack leader is not a part time occupation; it's all the time! Your dog is always looking for consistency and structure, and without it they become confused about when to follow your directions and when your are just being buddies. Cesar's main tip is that play time should only begin when your dog is in a calm and responsive state.

4. Dog Talk - Dogs don't care what language you speak because they don't hear words. They sense things much deeper than words, such as your tone and body language. This is why Cesar says you can not lie to your dog. Dogs are amazingly intuitive, so when you speak to a dog you must speak from the inside, from your mind, your heart, and your body.

5. Calm Down! - Dogs immediately sense when their pack leader is tense or nervous. When this occurs, the dog usually becomes tense and nervous as well. We see this far too often when someone comes to drop off their dog for grooming and they are making their dog more nervous and tense by feeding into that energy. Dogs need their pack leader to be calm and assertive in order to relax. By far the best and easiest dogs to groom are those who have pack leaders with good, calm, and positive energy. It makes their dog calm and confident and they tend to be more relaxed with the grooming process.

Dogs needs are very simple and when you satisfy those needs, you will have a happy and harmonious relationship with your dog. So, work on some these skills and be the pack leader your dog wants you to be!

Tony 10.18.10