Welcome to Camp Ruff Ruff dog training tips. Here you will find tips on some basic dog training and advanced behavior problems. COVID-19 Tips: Now that many of us are home a lot more with our furry friends, remember this can also be stressful for many dogs. We kind of changed their routine and don’t forget to give them some alone time. Soon we will all go back to some kind of normal and have […]
Preventing LGD Failure – Meeting Your LGD’s Needs It can be confusing, especially for new owners of livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) to sort out which information to follow as oftentimes the advice they hear is contradictory. For example “never bring them in the house and don’t handle them a lot” versus “bring them inside where they feel safe and let the puppy/dog hang out with you”. So, how about we take a look at how
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Do You Really Need To Crate Train Your Dog? The answer is a resounding…YES, you need to crate train your dog. A few words about crate training philosophy Your dog (or puppy) does not initially understand how to live inside a house when they come home with you (even older dogs or rescues). Their sense of smell can lead them into all kinds of trouble…chewing couches or chairs or shoes, running into the street
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Housebreaking Housebreaking or potty training your pup is a must for harmonious living indoors with the family. Eliminating indoors just is not acceptable in human culture and it is up to you as your dog’s care giver to help him understand how to adapt to life in the home. Going potty in the correct place every time is the goal! Dogs are creatures of habit, and are opportunist they do what works. Helping them
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Setting Your Dog Up for Success with Self-Control Self-control, whether in your grey-muzzled best friend or in a puppy you just brought home, is an important skill that needs to be learned. As puppies, many new parents like to joke that their new friend has no chill, diving headfirst into the food bowl, being the first out the gate at puppy school, and plunging enthusiastically into the play-pile. This rambunctious behavior is cute when
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How Your Pets’ Health Affects Their Behavior In the 1800’s of Tsavo, Kenya, the local rail workers were plagued by a duo of man-eating lions. After 35 deaths, the big cats in question were captured and it was discovered that both of the lions were suffering from chronic pain due to different injuries. While chronic pain, in this case, meant that the lions targeted easier prey, the situation brought attention to the different ways
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How to Survive Your Puppy Teething Stage So, you’ve brought your little fluff ball home and everything is perfect. They are adorable, healthy, bright-eyed and ready to be your best friend. Right now, they love to mouth on you and explore everything around them gum-first. At some point, that adorable habit of gentle mouthing will become a full-fledged craze, leading you to lock up shoes, couches, and electric cables in an effort to keep
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Common Socialization Pitfalls and What to Do Instead Many pet parents come to dog trainers with behaviors that stem from experiences during socialization. One example of how a single experience can affect an otherwise well socialized dog is Heidi, as shown in a story shared by Dr. Jen Summerfield on her blog1. Heidi was a typical, happy puppy who enjoyed playing with the neighborhood dog in her yard. One day Heidi came too close to
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Realistic Expectations for Training Based on Age For many new dog owners excited to bring their puppy home, the amount of contradictory advice for when to start training their new family member can be confusing. On one side, some dog trainers recommend avoiding training until the puppy is at least six months old, preferring to let the puppy experience the world without guidance and sometimes without integration into the human family. On the other side,
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