Table Of ContentCopyright 2015 Russ Crager | All Rights Reserved
Published by Powerhouse Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9759400-3-7
Powerhouse Publishing
5524 Hempstead Way | Suite B
Springfield, Virginia 22151
703-348-7390
PowerhousePublishing.biz
[email protected]
Table of Contents
Introduction
This relationship is going to take some work
I am going to need to you for the rest of my life
I’m too young for you
I’m a puppy now, but I’ll be a dog before you know it
I do better with structure (What’s the plan man?)
You wouldn’t leave a naked baby in the living room
That’s why I do better in a crate
I need to be fed on time
I was born a predator
That’s why they call me a Terrier
I am an individual, not a stereotype
Am I supposed to follow you?
I don’t do well alone
It’s either me or the dog
I’m just a teenager
I can see that you’re angry but I have no idea why
Who do you think I am, Lassie?
It’s not me, it’s you
I’m willing to learn but I need you to teach me
You’re the leader of the pack. Act like it.
You’re the one who trained me to jump up
I can’t hear you
I don’t know how to act on a leash
Introduction
Congratulations for taking an important step to improve the relationship between you and
your dog by reading this book.
The book is titled “What Your Dog Is Trying To Tell You” because, in my work as a
trainer, the biggest reason I see for a dog not behaving “correctly” is lack of
communication between human and dog. Believe me when I tell you, what we have here
is failure to communicate!
Interestingly though, your dog is trying very hard to understand what you are trying to tell
her, but you’re not listening to her at all! The human party to the relationship often seems
to be just trying to order the dog around and getting frustrated because the dog doesn’t
seem to be listening. Time and again in the situations I am brought into, there is almost
never an attempt on the owner’s part to figure out what the dog is trying to say. I’m hoping
to change that, one relationship at a time through this little book.
I have organized the book chronologically, starting out with your new puppy (or newly
adopted dog of any age) and then moving through canine adolescence into adulthood,
highlighting common problems that I’ve seen occur along the way.
To connect with me directly, please visit me online using one of the following links.
Web Site: http://www.lowcountrydogtrainers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OffLeashK9TrainingLowCountry
Email: [email protected]
Enjoy! Russ Crager.
This relationship is going to take some work
It doesn’t matter if it is a puppy from a pet store or an adult dog from a shelter, you’re not
going to walk in and get a pet, or a best friend for that matter, and not have to give
something back in return.
Your dog needs care. Your dog needs food, shelter, warmth and water. She also needs
exercise and mental stimulation.
You need to understand from the very start that there is going to be some work involved
and that the more you put into this relationship the more you will get back in the form of a
happy, healthy, well-behaved member of your family you can be proud of and whose
company you can enjoy in almost any situation.
If you just throw the dog in the back yard and forget about her, the relationship you will be
creating will not be a good one.
I am going to need you for the rest of my life
Humans have taken wild dogs or wolves, canids, and domesticated them to the point
where they can no longer fend for themselves in the wild.
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Some dogs can manage, but the vast majority
of domesticated dogs could never return to and survive in the wild.
This lifelong dependent relationship starts from puppyhood, or from whenever you adopt
the dog, and continues for the rest of your dog’s life. You have to be involved in their life
every step of the way.
You need to be committed to the fact that this is not a toy you are going to buy and forget
about in two weeks. Your dog is a lifelong commitment.
I’m too young for you
Some people simply should not buy a puppy. This is a common problem that trainers and
dog behaviorists see every day.
Sure, puppies are cute, lovable, soft bundles of joy. But what you are really bringing home
is a very young dog with a lot of learning and growing to do and those stages require a lot
of work on your part.
There are going to be a lot of messes and a lot of unpredictability and for the first few
weeks there is very little you can do about it. For a period of time your puppy’s brain will
not have developed enough to comprehend much in the way of training. You have to let a
puppy be a puppy.
A lot of people don’t understand or realize how much work it is involved in owning a
puppy, from the whining to the house training to the chewing to you name it. It might be
better to consider adopting an older dog from a shelter. They’ve typically already passed
the housebreaking, chewing and whining stages.
I’m a puppy now, but I’ll be a dog before you know
it
A human takes somewhere between twelve and fourteen years before they start going
through adolescence, and begin to experience the hormonal changes that will turn them
into an adult. A dog starts experiencing these changes at about five or six months of age.
That’s when the dog is going to start to think, “Well, maybe I could run this show. Maybe
I could do this better than you can.” They aren’t going to want to listen to you, just like
human teenagers don’t want to listen to their parents.
The good news is that the adolescent period is very short. By eight or nine months your
dog will be an adult, almost fully formed both physically and mentally.
The question at that point becomes, when your dog has reached full sexual maturity and is
tipping the scales at 50 pounds or more, will he be well-trained, behaved and disciplined
or will he be completely out of control?
Will your dog be heeling effortlessly or pulling you down the street to the amusement of
your neighbors? When friends come to your home will he be jumping up and barking or
sitting quietly awaiting your next instruction?
The answers to those questions are entirely up to you and your willingness to invest the
time and training required to make the difference.
I do better with structure. (What’s the plan man?)
Dogs thrive on structure. They want and need you to guide them.
Most of us don’t realize that dogs need structure, just like children. Without it they are
confused, irritated and a little frightened. Structure calms them, quiets their nerves and
gives them confidence.
They look to us to communicate what the plan is - what we’re going to do right now,
whether that be eat, run, play, fetch, or sleep. Whatever you want her to do she is happy to
do, as long as it occurs within a structured environment.
Dogs can’t make their own plan. They can’t set their own goals. If you want a well-
behaved, well-mannered dog, give it structure and consistency.
Structure is the set of rules for your home. Rules such as: no jumping, no running out the
door, and no begging.
Consistency is the way you enforce these rules. Your dog can’t understand that on Fridays
she’s allowed on the sofa, but every other day of the week the furniture is off-limits. It has
to be one way or the other, every day. There can’t be any gray areas. Your dog wants - and
needs - the rules to be all black and white.
