January 31st, 2010
By Eric Letendre
Exercise for dogs is an important topic to discuss. One of the main reasons we have behavior problems with dogs is there lack of exercise. Pent up energy in dogs can create havoc in most households. It’s important to understand that there are two types of exercise for dogs: Mental exercise and physical exercise.
It’s good to give your dog mental activities to do when you are away for long periods of time. In the videos you’ll see my two favorite types of mental exercises for dogs.
September 10th, 2009
By Eric Letendre
Had a great labor day weekend up at Sebasco Bay in Maine. Nothing like taking a few days off and relaxing on the coast of Maine.
What a beautiful place.
The problem is when you come back. Email, phone calls, meetings, it all takes a few days to catch up.
Anyway…
While going through hundreds of emails, one stuck out like a sore thumb. "Army Dog Swallows Bomb…And Survives" Talk about getting your attention.
I had to stop what I was doing and read the story. Turns out an Army dog named Toby ingested a toxic substance when sniffing out Taliban improvised explosive devices on the front line, he was picked up by a medical emergency helicopter and whisked back to Camp Bastion.
The story went on to say that Toby is fine and in great spirits – Thank God.
This story got me thinking…
Eating, chewing and destructive behavior is a big problem for a lot of dog owners. I know, because I been working with dogs for 20+ years and chewing is at the top of the list.
Coming when called, walking on leash, jumping and housetraining are also at the top of the list.
That’s why I put together the "Back To School" special which includes…
The Back To School ends tomorrow. So don’t delay go to Back To School!
All the best,
Eric
September 4th, 2009
By Eric Letendre
Wow, when I talked about Back To School for your dog I never thought I would hear about a dog getting a degree from college.
Here is the story:
Ada, Ohio (AP) – A well-trained golden retriever will receive a bachelor’s degree from Ohio Northern University today along with the rest of the graduating class. Zeeke, a 1-year-old dog, will earn his bachelor’s of science degree in canine companionship.
The canine has spent thousands of hours training as a Canine Companion dog as part of a senior’s honors project. ONU President, Kendall Baker, said he believes this is the first time the university has ever awarded a diploma to an animal.
In any event…
I’m sure most of you aren’t looking to get a college degree for your dog. You probably want your dog to walk on leash without pulling, to stop jumping and come back when called.
Am I right so far?
That’s why now is the best time for you to take advantage of my "Back To School" special. The Back To School special includes some of my most valuable lessons that I have taught over the past 15+ years to thousands of dog owners.
You get…
Here’s what you’ll learn:
Click here to take advantage of this incredible offer:
All the best,
Eric
P.S. You’ll be amazed at how simple and easy it is to apply all of these techniques. Your reports and ebook are instant downloads. You’re DVD will be sent within 48 hours…
September 3rd, 2009
By Eric Letendre
I dreaded this time of year…
As a kid, I hated this time of the year. You see, this is the week before I had to go back to school. School was more than a chore for me – it was hell.
I spent most of my school life in "special" classes and at one point went to a technical school to learn a trade – disaster.
I was worse with tools than I was with spelling and grammer. Funny thing is, I love to learn (I actually signed up for a college course yesterday) and I love to teach, especailly dog training.
The best part of my job is to help people train and develop better realtionships with their dogs.
How can it get better than that?
Anyway, all of this back to school talk got me thinking. Why not do something really special for all the readers of this blog.
Check it out:
All the best,
Eric
August 26th, 2008
By Eric Letendre
In my previous post I said that I would discuss the behavior program that I put together to help Tyler the destructive border collie.
Tyler was a really good dog, he was just bored out of his mind. He was loaded with pent up energy. The owner agreed that her dog did not have a behavior problem, her dog had an exercise problem.
The first step was to get Tyler in a dog daycare. It was not fair for him to be left alone for over ten hours at a time. I made it very clear that Tyler had to go to dog daycare. At the dog daycare he would be able to spend his day playing with other dogs, chasing balls, and getting some fresh air. I am a big fan of dog daycare and highly recommend finding one in your area.
The second step was to start building up Tyler’s tolerance to being alone. A lot of dogs that have seperation problems can’t handle being alone. We had to start leaving Tyler for short periods. Tyler’s mom would walk out the door and come back in a few minutes later. She would gradually increase the time until she could leave and Tyler would not destroy anything. We also had to work on the cues that signal to Tyler that she is getting ready to leave.
Dogs that have seperation problems start to get anxoius before the owner even leaves the house. You see, your dog spends his time with you studying everything that you do. You give little signals that you’re not even aware of but your dog is tuned in to. When you walk towards the kitchen, it’s a signal to your dog that food may be available real soon.
Most of us have little rituals that we go through as we get ready to leave for work. We get the "to go" coffee cup ready, we put our jacket on the chair, we get the keys for our car, etc. Your dog knows what is about to happen – you’re going to leave.
A dog with seperation problems needs a little conditioning with these cues. With Tyler we would go through her rituals, walk through the door like we were leaving and then come back in. I had Tyler’s mom repeat this over and over. Homecoming and departures were kept very low-key. I informed her that I did not want her getting her dog too excited when she left or came home.
The last step was using some toys to keep her dog occupied. We used a Kong toy, a Buster Cube, and a Citronella collar to help with the barking. Check back in the next few days because I will be reviewing toys and dog training equipment that will help you with your dog. You’ll find it informitive and maybe even a little shocking.
The good news is that Tyler did really well on the program. The combination of the daycare, the conditioning exercises, and the toys that we used greatly helped him adjust to being home alone, and the last time I saw Tyler he was doing great.
All the best,
Eric Letendre is a professional dog trainer from the United States. For more than 20 years, he has been developing dog training "hacks" that have worked for dog owners all over the world. Eric operates from a home office or a laptop while traveling and draws on his experience and passion for dog training to show others how to develop a dog that is truly “Man’s Best Friend”.
Eric is the author of numerous reports, the E-Book “101 Ways to Hack Your Dog’s Behavior,” “The Amazing Dog Training Man Book,” and produced and stars in his DVD “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.”
