Creative Dog Training Online Podcast

Today Margaret will be talking about a fun and useful command, Place. Everybody has a favorite chair or spot to relax, and teaching Place can create that for your dog! So we will share out tips on teaching Place, how and when to use Place, troubleshooting, and the difference between Place training and crate training. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret is going to talk about Mealtimes, both yours and your dogs and using them to help train. We are firm believers that every interaction you have with your dog is training. And one of the most powerful times can be meals. So today we will share our tips on using these powerful times to build respect, some tips on if you decide to give your dog people food, slowing down fast eaters, and ways to make your meals more pleasant with your dog. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret will be talking to a Special Guest Expert, Keith McDonald from Pet Stop Pet Fence Systems. So today we will be talking to Keith about underground pet fences and how they work, the training process for the fence system, what breeds and types of dogs are good for an underground fence system. The problems with Do-It-Yourself fences and wireless fence systems. And for more information you can visit for those locally here in Birmingham, Al, www.dogfenceal.com or nationally at www.petstop.com. And as always you are welcome to post questions on our message boards! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret will be addressing a short but important topic, the absolute importance of puppy class. Obviously we feel very strongly about the importance of training your dog. But we feel that getting your puppy started at the right time is vital! So today we will talk about choosing the right puppy class, involving the entire family, the importance of doing your homework, and the key to a great puppy, socialization. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret is talking about a fun subject, Teaching your dog to ring the bell to go outside! But not only is it fun, its very useful because it gives your  dog an easy way to communicate his needs. So today we will talk about teaching a command to touch the bell, practicing touching the bell, making sure your dog understands why he is ringing the bell to go outside, and our sure for excessive bell ringing. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret will be sharing some tips on how to handle your dog's lapses in housetraining. In every dog's life they may have a temporary lapse in their perfect housetraining. So today we will share some simple steps to take when it happens, including ruling out medical issues with your veterinarian, monitoring feeding schedules, getting back to the three rules of housetraining, and using the 7 day plan to grant freedom. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret will takle a very touchy subject, Level of Aggression in Dogs. This cast stray from our usual step by step by talking a little more about what you see rather than what to do, but this is an important step. Sp we will talk about the levels of aggression  and an owners responsibility level in dog bites. And Margaret wanted to thank Dr. Ian Dunbar who she first learned the levels of aggression from. Also, if you are having issues with aggresion please contact us or a qualified local trainer for immediate help. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will share our tips on stopping your dog from jumping on counters, tables, and furniture. A lot of this topic centers around teaching respect, so you hear that a lot. But we will give tips on using Goalie here, teaching a command to get on stuff can easily help you teach a command get off, revisiting the basics, and using a mirror to help keep an eye on an out of sight dog! We also revisit the subject of using booby traps, just always remember when using booby traps your dogs safety ALWAYS comes first. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

A question we get often is how to help shy dogs. So today Margaret will share some of our tips we have learned through years of practice helping owners with their shy dogs. And we know that by following a few easy steps your shy dog can learn to happily great new people. So today we will share tips on using rewards to help shyness, how not to unintentionally train the wrong behaviors, and your #1 command to help a shy dog: Go Visit! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret will talk about transitioning your indoor housetrained dog to go outside. As a note, if would be very helpful if you are considering this to listen to our previous cast on Indoor Housetraining your Dog. So today, Margaret will share her story of training a 6 month old Golden Retriever to go outdoors, teaching the command "Go Outside" and a multi-day program to teach your dog to tell you he need to go outside! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be talking about Housetraining your dog to use an Indoor Area. Please note that we do prefer training your dog to go outside, but we do understand there are reasons that prevent that. So we will give you tips on how to train your dog to go to his box, teaching a command to eliminate indoors, redirecting accidents, and lots of tips on making housetraining indoors easier! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be talking about a subject we are so happy to get to cover, and that is Bringing Home Your New Rescue Dog! And the reason we are always happy is that it means people are choosing to adopt pets and helping the animal population that is in need of homes! So today, we will talk about how getting started and how to treat your new dog, testing housetraining, introducing your new pack member into the pack, discovering and working on issues, and where your new dog should sleep!

Today Margaret wanted to talk about a subject we get asked about quite a bit, Getting a Second Dog.She will share our advice on figuring out why you want a second dog, introducing a new dog, helpful podcasts to listen to, and what to avoid when you get a second dog.Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret will be talking about Your Relationship with your Dog.We firmly believe that a solid relationship is built on 3 things; Love, Trust, and Respect.Today Margaret will give you tips on building and understanding these three building blocks.We will talk about our philosophy on dogs, teaching your dog to want to listen, socializing your dog, and allowing your dog to be a dog.Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret will be talking about a topic we have talked about before, and that is Stress in your dog.Today Margaret will be talking about specifically The Language of Stress in your dog.We will give you tips to recognize the type of stress your dog is showing, talk a little about the stress chain, and finally ways to relieve stress in your dog.Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

With the holidays coming up, we thought it would be a good idea to discuss Holidays With Your Dog.So today Margaret will give you some very helpful tips for parties, some ideas about holiday decorations, visiting friends with your dog, and most important, trying to have fun!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

With the holidays coming up, Margaret will share some tips on Traveling with Your Dog.We will talk about whether or not your dog actually wants to go, being prepared with your dogs medical records and identification, what to pack for your dog, and being prepared for the unexpected.Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret will be talking about a subject that can be very frustrating to owners that have to deal with Submissive Urination. These dogs, affectionately known as "Pet and Wets", can be very frustrating and embarrassing at times. So Margaret will give you some simple tips to use to improve the situation for you and your Pet and Wet puppy! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret will be talking about a subject that not many people think about, Territory Marking. We will give you tips to follow to identify areas where your dog marks, how to stop the behavior, and some ideas on how to prevent it from returning. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Just like going to the doctor, going to the vet can be stressful for your dog. Today, Margaret and Damian will share some things about visiting the vet with your dog that we have learned from over 40 years experience in the industry. We will talk about preparing your dog for the vet with gentle restraint, pet health insurance, specialty veterinarians, and how to get your dog to relax and enjoy the vet experience! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

This week we will address preventing, predicting, and diffusing problems at the dog park. Most people would avoid this subject entirely,but we feel that without this information you are missing resources and tools that could prevent catastrophe. So today, Margaret and Damian will give you tips on what to watch for, what dogs to avoid, how to stop a problem before it starts, and how to break up a fight should the worst happen. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Last week Margaret and Damian talked about preparing your dog for the dog park. This week we will talk about taking your dog to the dog park. This information applies to your first time or your 100th time! We will give you steps to start your dog our under control, spend a little time training, and finishing the day up under control so you and your dog can have the best dog park experience possible! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Dog parks are one of the best things you can do with your dog to have a great day for both of you!But to make it safe, and of course, use it as an opportunity to improve your dog, you need to be prepared.Today Margaret and Damian will give you tips and advice on getting your dog ready for his first trip to the dog park.We will give you some ideas on what to take with you, and a little bit about what to think about before you head to the park!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be talking about the final stage of responsible breeding, sending the puppies to their new homes. To really consider yourself a responsible breeder, your involvement goes well past taking a check and handing over the puppy. We will give you advice on interviewing new homes, what to provide the new home, contracts and guarantees, and a lifetime of follow up. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be talking about Part 3 of our series on Responsible Dog Breeding with Raising your litter of puppies. DId you know that only 35% of a dogs potential and personality is genetic. The rest depends on how he is raised. In this cast we will share our tips to make sure all the puppies in your care are ready to take on the world! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be taking on Part 2 of our series on Responsible Dog Breeding with Welcoming the Puppies into the World. We will talk about caring for your mother to be, planning for the big day, supplies to gather, and helping to whelp the puppies. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will start a 4 part series on Responsible Dog Breeding. In our first part today we will talk about figuring out why you want to breed your dog, selecting a mate for your dog, and what it takes to be a responsible breeder including genetic screenings for your dog and making sure you dog is ready for it! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be discussing a subject we see and encourage regularly in our classes. That is using your kids to help train your dog.Not only is it fun to involve the kids in training, its great for building your dog's respect for them as well.We will share a few tips and techniques for overcoming the size difference between your dog and child, using feeding time for training, plus using tricks to make sure everyone is having fun!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be finishing up with part 3 of our series on Babies and Dogs with, Preparing your Dog for the toddler! Preparing for the toddler phase is crucial with your dog. Today we will talk about the importance of socializing, handling, supervision and even getting your toddler involved in your dogs training! Please be aware that your childs safety is always most important! So if you encounter any problems or have any questions please consult us or a qualified trainer in your area immediately. Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be continuing our series on Babies and Dogs with a key part, Introducing Your Dog to Your New Baby! We will give you the steps to safely introduce your dog to your new baby including using Scent Mingling so that your dog knows your baby before they meet, using a helper to introduce your dog to your new baby, and most importantly preparing for the next part, noticing what needs to be done to prepare for a toddler and dog! Please be aware that your baby's safety is always the number one priority. Consult us or a qualified trainer in your area before using these steps and if you have any questions! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be starting the 1st Part of our new Series Babies and Dogs! Today they will be talking about Preparing your dog for a new baby and all the upcoming changes. They will talk about preparing your dog for the noises of a child, preparing your dog for changes in schedule and rules (like getting on furniture with a new baby, and stealing items), and making sure your dogs basic obedience is ready to handle every situation! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Many times we have suggested that you contact us or a qualified trainer in your area. Today we will continue with our 3rd and Final part of the series on how to pick a qualified trainer in your area! Today Margaret and Damian talk about what to look for when talking to a trainer in your area, dog training certifications, guarantees in dog training, and what to look for in support after your training program! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Many times we have suggested that you contact us or a qualified trainer in your area. Today we will continue with our 2nd part of the series on how to pick a qualified trainer in your area!Today Margaret and Damian will be talking about choosing the right training method for you and your dog. Being comfortable with a training method, whether positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement or clicker training is important for you to be able to learn.We will give you details on 7 dog training methods; Positive Reinforcement, Negative Reinforcement, Clicker Training, Lure Training, Lure Training, Place/Show or repetition training, Electronic Training, and Competition Training. Each method will talk about pros and cons as well as how trainers blend the methods!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Many times we have suggested that you contact us or a qualified trainer in your area. Today we will start a 3 part series on how to pick a qualified trainer in your area! Today, Margaret and Damian will be talking about the first step in choosing a trainer, and that's to clarify what you want from a trainer. Every trainer does it differently, so if you are clear on what you want, then finding the right person to give it to you will be easy! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be talking about a very fun subject; Good Games to Play with Your Dog!We understand you are more likely to spend more time playing with your dog than training.And to be honest, we think that's the best thing you can do.We believe one of the most successful ways to train your dog is while playing games. As long as you play them correctly!We will give you tips and rules to play common games like tug of war and wrestling as well as how to teach a solid and happy come when called, plus some fun games for the kids and whole family to join in!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Conor will be talking about Puppy Biting and how to improve it. We will let everyone in on a secret that puppies bite! And the only way to stop puppy biting is for your puppy to grow out of it! So that being said we will give you steps to understand and get control of puppy biting as well as teaching your puppy that it hurts when he does bite! Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be finishing up our series on Greetings by talking about Safe Dog to Dog Greetings.They will give you simple tips on what to look for when letting your dog greet another dog as well as helpful commands to use like 'Go Visit' and 'Switch' that you can use to make dog to dog greetings safe and fun for everyone involved!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be continuing our series on Greeting Dogs.The topic today is Preparing Your Dog to Greet New People.Taking your dog to new places and greeting new people can be stressful for some dog owners. We will outline steps to teach your dog useful commands like 'Go Visit' which give your dog permission to politely greet as well as how to recognize stress signs and tips on how to position your dog to greet people in a friendly, confident way!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be talking about Greeting Dogs the Safe Way. This may seem like a simple subject, and it is!But we have seen over the years that a lot of unfortunate dog bite incidents could have been avoided if people greeted dogs differently. So today we will give you the steps to safely greet a dog! These steps are also very good for teaching children to safely greet dogs as well.Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be talking about our last step in our series on Stay with Proofing Stay.Basically Proofing Stay means teaching your dog to work around distractions like being petted by strangers, treats and toys, and even the neighbors cat. If you haven't had a chance to listen to and work on the first 2 parts, Teaching Stay and Practicing Stay, we recommend you take a second to listen and practice those steps!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be continuing our discussion on teaching Stay the easy way by talking about Practicing stay to be successful!This cast is short, but gives you detailed tips on the best ways to practice for success as well as how to build a solid foundation so next week we can work on working with stay around distractions!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today we are starting a 3 part podcast to give you the steps to teach stay the easy way!This week M&D will be laying the foundation with the teaching phase.We will give you simple steps to teach your dog what the command means as well as how to handle it when he gets up, and why that's a good thing!So work hard this week on teaching and next week we will work on practicing!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Continuing our Series on Respect we are talking today about the Command 'No'.Margaret and Damian will be talking about our philosophy of why we call the word 'No' a command.We will also discuss 'No' alternatives for situations like barking, jumping up, stealing objects, etc!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Continuing our Series on Respect we are talking about today about Come when Called.Margaret and Damian have talked about Come when Called before, but today we will be looking at it from a different angle. Showing you how to build respect and leverage respect to teach and use Come, as well as how to use your dogs natural thoughts and drives (Pack Drive, Prey Drive, and Defense Drive) to make training and using Come easier with your dog!And we will finish up with some fun games to teach Come that you can use with the whole family!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be talking about our next topic in the Respect Series - Goalie.Goalie is a fun game we use to teach our dogs respect for us, space, the couch, windows they bark out of, kitchen counters, etc. etc. Basically it is an effective tool for teaching respect for space around anything. We will give you the steps for teaching Goalie, as well as some tips on using it and common issues you may see!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Today Margaret and Damian will be talking about our first topic in the Respect Series - Settle Down.Settle Down is our first command to teach and build respect. And today we show you how to teach 3 Levels of Settle Down as well as Troubleshoot the problems you are having when teaching!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Margaret and Damian will be talking about something that is the cornerstone of our training, Respect.For us, Respect is the key that gets your dog to do something when he has the choice not to! (Think off leash and Come when called)So we will lay out our ideas of Respect, give you some ways to test for respect from your dog, and talk about a few ways to give back a little respect to your dog!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

This is Part 2 of 2Margaret and Damian talked last week about how to test and document any issues your dog may have with Handling and Restraint. This week they will be talking about steps to take to improve any issues you found during last weeks test, from trimming your dogs nails, to brushing your dog, to giving them a big hug!Just remember, this is a VERY overlooked subject, but one that will not only make your relationship with your dog better, but it could effectively save his life! Teaching your dog to accept Handling and Gentle Restraint.This is Part 2 of a 2 part podcast, so if you haven't listened to Part 1, please do so first!

This is Part 1 of 2Margaret and Damian will be talking about a VERY overlooked subject, but one that will not only make your relationship with your dog better, but it could effectively save his life! Teaching your dog to accept Handling and Gentle Restraint.It is a fact of life for our dogs that we must handle or gently restrain them from time to time. Whether it is a vet visit, to dry their paws off, give a pill, or trim their nails.This is a 2 part podcast.Today, we will give you the steps to test and document any issues your dog may have. Next week we will talk about how to teach your dog to accept Handling and Gentle Restraint happily!

Margaret and Damian will be talking about an often overlooked subject, Living with More than One Dog. The key to living happily with multiple dogs is for you to be the pack leader. Your dogs will decide amongst themselves what their pecking order is. Each dog in you pack however must understand that all family members are above the dogs! This is sometimes easier said than done! This is sure to be the first of many casts on this subject. So today we offer you our tips to living with more than one dog! We discuss, determining when dogs are getting too rough, dog loyalty test, learning and avoiding "dog fight" hot spots in your house, improving training for your 2 dogs, and how to build a strong relationship with both dogs!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com

Margaret and Damian are talking about something we are asked about a lot, Tips for Children and Dogs.Children and dogs are a wonderful combination, most of the time. But if you don't have the perfect dog around kids, we will give you some tips for helping your dog to enjoy children, as well as teaching children to be safe around dogs.We discuss, Socializing your dog, recognizing stress in your dog, helping issues your dog has with children, teaching a command to relax, training your dog, and teaching children to greet a dog.And always remember, when it comes to kids and dogs, the child's safety is the most important!Enjoy, and if you have questions or comments, please visit us and post a question on our message board at www.creativedogtraining.com