This product is FANTASTIC for shy dogs, anxious dogs, aggressive dogs, dogs that over-bark, dogs that submissively pee,dogs afraid of fireworks, thunder, or their own shadow, dogs that are anxious in the car, train or plane!
It uses the same idea  as swaddling a baby to make it more calm…
Also the Tellington Touch method to work with dogs with behavior problems includes using the swaddling idea.
The Thundershirt used in conjunction with a great training class can eliminate or dramatically deal with many behavior problems.
You can order the Thundershirt by clicking on this link or call me about including this in your plan to change your dog’s behavior.

For some reason I find people are bound and determined to continue to use useless collars and harnesses on their dogs. Leads too( see post on the equally as useless retractable leads) I suppose a lot of it has to do with color and patterns and such…and the producers of training collars are getting better at making them in fru fru collars and patterns. Many years ago the “Positive Training” movement decided that “choke chains” were cruel and unusual and just about have made them go the way of the DODO BIRD. So then everyone jumped on using a buckle collar …for training…well in my opinion buckle collars cause more damage to a dogs trachea than a “choke” collar or a martingale collar could ever possibly do.  Buckle collars are like clothes lining a dog..they put pressure only in one spot…the dogs windpipe ….if the dog pulls when walking..all that pressure sits in that spot…so the more pressure the more the dog pulls.and the more damage it does. We have all heard the horror stories of dog hanging themselves with choke collars on and they should be removed when the dog is unattended. But Martingale collars or check collars as they are sometimes called do not choke the dog they put pressure all the way around the neck like a choke collar but they do not tighten all the way so as to cut off air supply should the dog somehow get it hooked on something. Collars that put pressure all the way around the neck allow you to actually teach the dog to walk by  your side or “heel” . You CANNOT effectively teach a dog to walk on a loose leash with a buckle collar or worse with a silly harness…I know they make some “no pull” harness that is supposed to teach your dog to heel…but again I have yet to see it work effectively.
If you leave your training collar (not a choke collar) on your dog he/she is always ready for a training session so that all you have to look for is your leash. If you have to grab your dog quickly and evacuate your house or car you are assured your dog cannot back his/her head out of his collar in a moment of panic.  I would never travel(that means anytime it leaves your house!) with my dog without their training collar on…
When your dog has his training collar on and you put your leash on your dog knows it’s time to “work” ! and gee my dogs get to go with me a lot..they think it’s fun…but it is really “work”.
So do your dog and your self a favor and ALWAYS have the proper collar on so that your dog is ready and able to go with you at a moments notice.
Oh and one more handy hint…if your dog is coming for boarding to my house..don’t even think of bringing it without a training collar on!!!

The hallmark of dogdom is the art of graceful waiting. Dogs excel at this..they mark the  passing of time by external events not the ticking of a clock. I have never seen a dog check his wrist watch and make a note that you will be home in 7.5 hours or longer if you go to the grocery store for dinner “stuff”. Yes I do think that dogs know when it’s dinnertime, or time to go to class, or the timing of anything in your house that occurs at the same time everyday.Leaving a dog home alone for hours at a time is NOT cruel ( even in a crate) nor is it un-natural. Waiting for the arrival of the beloved human is the natural state of the dog.Let me qualify that; leaving your dog “outside” in the heat/cold without proper shelter; or worse chained; NOT ok.Turned down by a rescue group because you work out of the home? Go get your dog elsewhere!!There is no formula for the hours a dog can or cannot spend alone including hours in a crate. (no matter what the internet says) (oh I forget; if it’s on the internet it must be accurate)Think you need a dog walker, pet sitter, doggie daycare, food puzzles, dogs on the television programming, juggler, mime or game director, or race home at lunch or right after work (eliminating a normal life) just to have a dog…NONSENSE!! dogs for year have gladly waited for their owners to come home no matter when…Trust the Dog!!

Your dogs oral misbehaviors are heavily influenced by the dog food you choose! This includes over-barking, destructive chewing, and aggression towards other dogs and people. Also common sense would dictate that when you feed your dog properly (as they would feed themselves) they live long healthy lives! Please take notice that dogs were not meant to live on dry dog food alone (that does not mean to feed them canned food).  In all of our beginning classes, everybody always asks for a list of recommended foods, so I finally sat down and compiled it.
Other sound sources of GOOD information about dog food are Whole Dog Journal, Dog Food Advisor (online) or a great ground-breaking book, “Foods Pets Die For” by Ann Martin.
You will know your dog is not using it’s food properly because they will shed all the time (they should only shed twice a year) they may have bad breath, (also may indicate parasites) more stools out in back yard, can’t learn.
Never buy more dog food than you can use in 3 weeks. Why? because the fat they  spray on the food at the last of the processing starts to deteriorate once the bag is open. If the fat has gone bad your dog may vomit, refuse to eat the food (smart dog) have loose stools, and other stomach and digestive ailments. Be sure to store your food in an air tight container.
1) Victor – great price point, USA made and sourced. Marj uses the yellow bag, Jessica prefers the Ocean Fish formula: http://www.victordogfood.com/
2) Fromm – Old, excellent company out of Wisconsin. Highly recommended! http://frommfamily.com/
3) Merrick– excellent food, a little bit pricier if you’re feeding multiple dogs: http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
Note: I tried the Whole Earth Farms branch of the Merrick brand and didn’t like it, but it’s your choice!
4) Bil-Jac– old company, one of Marj’s favourites, especially the BilJac meat for weaning puppies: http://www.bil-jac.com/
5) Earthborn Holistic – Good, US made food: http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/
6) Evanger’s – excellent food, a little hard to find in Tulsa but worth it! http://www.evangersdogfood.com/
7) Wysong – the ONLY veterinary diet we recommend! http://www.wysong.net/
8) Natural Balance
9) Castor & Pollux (which can be found at Reasor’s stores now)
10) Fresh Pet
11) Natural Instinct
12) Nature’s Variety Instinct.
These others I would feed if the price was lower:
Innova
Acana
Orijen

What foods we do NOT recommend!
Purina
Purina Pro Plan
Science Diet
Blue Buffalo (We have had a lot of problems with this food recently so it’s made it to this list)
Lams
Eukanuba
Any of the weird grocery store brands (Ol’ Roy, Gravy Train, Kibbles n’ Bits, Alpo)
Beneful

When you acquire your dog, you become their advocate. What this means is that you protect your dog from injury, from other dogs, and from themselves. How do you protect your dog from themself? By teaching them the skills to be successful, correcting them in that teaching process when they are wrong, preventing them from being in a situation where they cannot be successful (being ridden by small children, the dog park, being let loose to roam property) and pushing their boundaries so they can cope with the unexpected.
That is your responsibility to your dog, and when you fulfill it, they will pay you back in spades.

Watch Marj the Dog trainer in the Tulsa News!

Creek is a lovely, intelligent, earnest boy, and he is learning here to temper his enthusiasm with restraint – and get what he wants in the end!

There has been a “trendy” attitude the past few years about getting dogs enough exercise…yes dogs do need exercise and here comes the “but”…
Walking your Labradoodle, your German Shepherd, or your Great Dane around the neighborhood on a leash does not qualify as exercise, except maybe for you.
Under-exercised dogs are more reactive to all kinds of things more than ones who get enough exercise. “But” if you are trailing your dog around your neighborhood with him dragging you, fence fighting, charging dogs, kids, adults with beards and peeing his or her way to China you are letting your dog know that is how you want him to walk around the neighborhood. So in my opinion you are doing more harm than good.
Dogs need to run or trot, even if they are just playing ball in the house. If you have a normal sized backyard or even if you don’t you will see your dog doing what I  call “loop de loops” they will run fast around the yard for 10 or 15 minutes all by themselves; dogs really do know what is good for themselves…if you have two dogs they get plenty of exercise!
Dogs profit tremendously from having something constructive to think about they need mental exercise, and that gets us back to obedience training!
Obedience training always makes a dog (and owner) more confident…it will teach your dog to walk on a loose leash with no drama….come when called and to pay attention to you…you’re alpha remember? Then go beyond basic dog training! Teach your dog to track a scent (your kids or grandkids for example) find your cell phone…jump over agility obstacles; hold still while a child reads to him. Teach him anything but bad habits, and keep his mind and body busy…

Well here goes: those of you in my classes know how I feel about dog parks….on the whole I do not suggest people use them…now before you start spewing your hate mail to me I am going to give my reasons….I do NOT think that they are a good way to socialize your dog…you want your dog to be under control around other dogs…think about it …turning your dog loose to run like a maniac with other dogs does not teach them self control when encountering other dogs; all they learn is to be out of control around other dogs…. do dogs appreciate another dogs company YES! the other dog in your household or an actual dog that they are familiar with that they can have a play date with is how that works.  Do dogs play rough and tumble when with each other yes..again it does not usually involve 20 other swirling, twirling dogs.  And yes the Bully’s…there are some in every dog park…do you want your dog to become a bully? or to become so submissive that is is always picked on?  If your dog has never had any formal training and you take it to the park so that it can really ignore your commands show me the productivity in that!  Is my dog trainer’s diary full of crappy dog park stories? Do they out- number the good dog park stories? Yes and Yes…can you have a good experience at a dog park …I guess so…who should use a dog park…those of you who live in an apartment and your dog needs to get out and run some loop-de-loops preferably not with 20 other dogs chasing him…is there an alternative to dog parks?  you bet..Dog Day Cares that have a schedule and structured play times that match well suited dogs with each other You can always teach your dogs some tricks…teach him to find your cell phone, your keys….your kids….better yet let him have some “Zen” time in your yard just connecting with the earth and enjoying the day.
I’m not sure of the allure of dog parks…it makes no sense to me…I of course have multiple dogs so they have plenty of time to play with each other…do they have time to be by themselves..always…do I think they have to play well with strange dogs NO and NO and NO…are my dogs perfectly fine around strange dogs YES and YES; have they gotten that way because they went to a dog park No…and No…have they gotten that way because I let them sniff  every dog in the face that they meet? NO and NO…but that will be the next post…Meeting and Greeting….Hooey I say…
Please keep your hate mail to a minimum…you won’t change my mind…and it will just get deleted!!!