Someone much wiser than me once said  ” What gets measured improves.”  This has been true in many aspects of my life from note taking in classroom to off leash dog obedience training classes we offer in Charlotte,NC

Regardless if you are new to our dog training programs or an Unleashed client (someone who has graduated from one of our off leash dog training programs) one common tread that unites us is the desire to be able to do more with our dogs.  That’s what we mean by “Train as you live.”

The very best way to take your dog training skills to the next level is to measure your progress between training sessions.

Here are some questions you can pretend that I will ask you in our next dog training session

1) How many dog training sessions did you do since last training session? Formal/Informal

2) What commands/experiences did you work on with your dog?

3) What problems did you discover about your dog’s understanding of your commands and were you able to fix any?  If not what were you not able to improve

4) How is your relationship with your dog since last dog training lesson? better/worse/same

That’s it.

Please notice all of these questions are about the relationship between YOU & YOUR DOG, not anyone else in your pack (ie wife/husband/boy friend/neighbor/mom/dad).  Another important issue is you are seeking progress, NOT perfection.  If you and your dog are doing better that’s the right direction .

Keep going and make it count.

If this is too deep or if you are not familiar with Off Leash Dog Training way please contact us to set up a Free Consultation with your dog.

Here is a link to detailed information when traveling with your dogs

If you plan your trip carefully, taking your dog along can make your travel experience more fun for everyone.
Here are a few helpful tips to make the experience go as smoothly as possible.

PACKING
Pack for your dog how you would pack for yourself. Think of everything your dog needs on a daily basis and prepare accordingly. Food, water, bedding, leashes, toys and medications are all important for your trip.

DRIVING
• Get your dog used to the car by letting him sit in it with you without leaving the driveway, and then
going for short rides. Do this kind of test run before you commit to a long vacation.
• If possible, avoid car sickness by letting your dog travel on an empty stomach. However, make
sure he has plenty of water at all times. There are some fantastic spill proof bowls to help you
accomplish this.
• Keep the car well-ventilated. If the dog is in a crate, make sure that fresh air can flow into the
crate.
• Stop frequently for exercise and potty breaks. Be sure to clean up after your dog.
• Car rides are boring for everyone, so instruct your children not to tease or annoy the dog in the car.
• Never, ever leave your dog unattended in a closed vehicle, particularly in the summer. If you must
leave the car, designate a member of the family to stay with the dog.
• You may also consider looking into a doggy seat belt to improve safety on your trip.

LODGING
• Find out in advance which hotels or motels at your destination or on your route allow dogs. Many do not, or have size or breed restrictions.
• Keep your dog as quiet as possible.
• Do not leave the dog unattended. Many dogs will bark or destroy property if left alone in a strange place.
• Ask the management where you should walk your dog, and pick up after him. Do not leave any mess behind.

FLYING*
Size Matters
• In most cases small dogs dogs under a certain weight can fly in the cabin with you as long as their crate fits under the seat.
• Large dogs are required to ride as cargo in airline approved crates.

Veterinary Preparations
• All airlines require health certifications and proof of vaccinations.
• Many airlines will not transport animals when it is extremely hot or cold and may require paperwork signed by your veterinarian to allow specific temperature ranges for your dog’s travel.

Breed Restrictions
• Pug-nosed animals should never travel in the cargo hold of a plane. This is because of the structure of their faces, which may inhibit their breathing during air travel.

Quarantine
• Most states do not have quarantine regulations when flying within the US. There are a couple of
exceptions though such as Hawaii.
• Outside the USA, there are much more extensive quarantine regulations, but they vary widely. It’s
always safer to find out about quarantine regulations in advance.
* Each airline has its own set of rules for canine air travel. You should call for information and make
arrangements well in advance of your trip.

LODGING
• Find out in advance which hotels or motels at your destination or on your route allow dogs. Many do not, or have size or breed restrictions.
• Keep your dog as quiet as possible.
• Do not leave the dog unattended. Many dogs will bark or destroy property if left alone in a strange place.
• Ask the management where you should walk your dog, and pick up after him. Do not leave any mess behind.

JUST IN CASE
• Have a small dog first aid kit with you at all times when you are traveling with your dog.
• Keep veterinary contact information readily available and after hours numbers in case of emergency.
• Be sure you know where you can take your dog while on your vacation so if something does happen, you can quickly get the help you need.
• Consider getting your dog a microchip implant for easy identification as well.

Last but not least:
HAVE FUN!

Here are quick snippets from our clients’ answers to a simple question.
Would you recommend us to others?

Off Leash Dog Training Charlotte owner Turk Akbay is a regular contributor for WCNC-NBC36 Charlotte Today Show.  On his monthly segments called Carolina’s Dog Master he covers variety of dog training issues as well as other important dog related subjects like how to select the best dog for your family, safety issues about dogs.  Because of the popularity of the show in Charlotte, he frequently receives lots of dog training related questions.

This ongoing blog post is for the answers for those questions he could not answered on air.

PLEASE NOTE: Without seeing your dog it’s really hard to diagnose the triggers and suggest a solution. Therefore please view these answers in that context. We offer FREE Consultation to evaluate your dog if you want to work with us.

Q: What do you do when you dog refuses to potty on a leash? He was trained with a fenced in yard and now we don’t have one.  I take him out and he heels wonderfully but refuses to potty.Then comes in and pottys in the house-Suzanne M

A: Your dog is not comfortable when on leash, so he feels restricted which disturbs his thought pattern. Start by making your dog comfortable being on the leash.  One of the ways to deal with this is to actually have the dog wear the leash longer.  Try this:  For about one week whenever the dog is in the house, eating, and hanging out have him drag the leash around. This is going to reduce your dog’s reaction to being on the leash, and at that point he should be able to pee and poop regularly.

Q: Why is my dog so aggressive towards some people and not others? – Jennifer R.

A: This is kind of hard to answer without knowing the background of the dog, but dogs are visual learners, so if they have a negative experience with a specific looking person (ie someone in uniform, people of color, children), as a defense mechanism when a similar looking person appears, they’ll react according to their prior experience.  We deal with this type of issue regularly.

The best thing to do is repeatedly expose the dog to the people who appear like the one they are not comfortable with in a comfortable environment. We use the PLACE COMMAND and HIGH VALUE TREATS while treating this type of behavior.

Q: My five month old female pit bull mix gets so excited when she sees people she wets in the floor. Is this something she may grow out of?- Elizabeth O.

A: This is common among dogs that are not very confident. It’s called submissive peeing or excited urination.  Usually it will go away with age as the dogs gets a little older and more confident. It would be helpful to use some CONFIDENCE BUILDING EXCERCISES.

Q: My dog won’t let anyone touch him (but my husband and I) and if they actually do he yelps and carries on but is fine once he is by me or my husband. He is 8 years old and it has gotten worse with his age. We tried xanax but that has not helped. Any suggestions? -Lori B.

A: It sounds to me like the dog is getting comforted  for yelping and running to the owner. So yelping and running to  you is reinforced.  Because it’s working for him he keeps doing it so it feels like it’s getting worse for you.

Ignore this behavior; Instead of comforting him.  Also, have lots of people touch the dog to desensitize him to being touched. It’s not to late, you can teach an old dog new tricks!

Q: My Bijon was kicked on the stairs by a tile man a couple of years ago. now any time a man comes to the door that she does not know we have to lock her up or she nips their heels. We have tried introducing her to people outside, on a leash, but that does not work. What can we do?- Mary R.

A: This is the same idea as the kind of dog who reacts badly to certain people. Your dog needs to be reintroduced to similar kinds of people under good circumstances. (Of course preventing the dog from biting the people.) When a new person comes to the house, give the dog a treat maybe for sit or come and praise the dog for the command in the presence of the new person.  Give him something to do instead of focusing on and going after the new person.

Q: My Pit/Lab mix Roxanne is the MOST AMAZING DOG EVER!!!!! She is so eager to please and doesn’t have a hint of agression in her. HOWEVER, we can NOT keep her from chasing the cats, we have an Orange Maine Coon and now a new baby all black Kitten named Mia…any advice on how to Keep Roxanne from Slobbering all over my kitten every day?!?!?!?! – MOrgan S.

A: We call cats interactive dog toys. )  It’s natural for a dog to want to chase your cats. We regularly work with clients that have this kind of problem.  The best thing to do is teach the dog to respect the boundaries of the cat.

Q: Daisy Mae is 3/4 cocker & 1/4 the vet thinks maybe lab & she came from a home where the pups were abused by the man of the house. Was told she was 6 weeks old but the vet est. her age at less than 4 weeks. She has severe separation anxiety …but it has improved in the 6 + yrs we have had her. Now she only cries (sings?) when I return from anywhere but we can’t get her groomed. Have tried sev. times & always get called back in less than 30 min. or they just refuse to do her due to her fear. She backs into a corner & gets very vicious baring teeth, growling feriously, etc. None will let me stay while she is being groomed or neither will they muzzle her–saying it is against the law. What in the world can we do to get her looking pretty oh so pretty? lol Been doing it myself but I am def. not good at it. Please HELP Daisy Mae & her Mom. - Teresa A.

A: Change your groomer – they can legally use muzzles and it would really help in this situation. The muzzle would help because what is reinforcing that kind of aggressive behavior is that it is working for her. If she can be put in a muzzle and get groomed, she’ll realize that acting that way doesn’t work and being groomed isn’t so bad.

Q: I have two chihuahuas one of who loves EVERYONE including any dogs (male dog) and the other who is skid-dish of humans and aggressive towards dogs(female dog). The older she gets the more aggressive she is getting, she recently attacked my …other dog over his food bowl and when I went to discipline her she growled at me and tried to bite me, this is also happening more and more. If I tap her on her bottom she just gets more aggressive and I tend to be scared of her and she’s a 15 pound chihuahua. I think she was abused as a puppy which can explain the shyness towards other humans but how do I get her over being aggressive towards me and other dogs? She once tried to attack my fiances niece when she came to give me a hug bye, i’m terrified that when we have kids of our own she will be aggressive towards them. Help -Julie B.

A: Call us. We can help! Dealing with aggression can be tricky. The last thing we want is for you to lose your hand!

One thing is for sure; Customers of Off Leash Dog Training are not interested in only teaching their dogs sit/stay.  Our members want to integrate their dogs into every part of their lives.  We call that  “Train as we live.” So here at Off Leash Dog Training we always look for ways and partnerships to help our clients reach the next level on their relationship with their dogs. One of the great partnerships we have established is with US. National Whitewater Center.

USNWC is premiere outdoor adventure experience located near intersection of I-485 & I-85

Once again this year starting in May we will begin our weekly Hikes at USNWC.

USNWC Hikes are classified as Level-2 because of high number of people, bikes,dogs and often live band we will encounter. It’s suited best for dog/handlers who are comfortable around severe distractions.

We will have lots of great spot to Place our dogs on

Although dogs are not allowed in Whitewater rapids for obvious reasons, we might get an opportunity to let our dogs swim in Catawba River.  Watching your dogs play in water with a gorgeous sunset as a backdrop is an experience everyone should have.

As always we will integrate training into the play time with our dogs, but most importantly we will have fun with our dogs.

This group lesson is Free of charge to Ultimate Off Leash Clients.

USNWC has $5 fee for parking. Our friends at USNWC has provided us with parking passes to purchase  for $40. (good thru 31 DEC 11).  If you would like to go ahead an purchase your Parking Pass to USNWC  contact our office here.

We’re looking forward to seeing you at the next USNWC Hike.

Unlike chain pet stores like PetSmart & Petco on our group lessons we work on advanced obedience rather than divide the cost among more people.  Because we work on harder issues  although non graduates can observe, to participate in Group Lessons dogs must graduate first.

Following are the guidelines are here to maximize everyone’s gain in their dog training journey.

♦    The power of group lesson is “the group.” If there are less than 3 clients RSVPed 48hrs. prior to the group lesson, we will cancel that session. NOTE: Group lessons do not meet on Bad weather and/or National Holidays. The most accurate calendar is located on our Facebook Events page.

♦    You must RSVP via our Facebook FanPage or email Off Leash Dog Training  Office more than 48 hours before the class to reserve your place in the group session.  If you attend without registering, you may be asked to observe (rather than participate in) the session.

♦    In order for our group sessions to run smoothly, owners and dogs must be prepared. If you are using a remote collar please make sure it’s fully charged, and your dog understands/perform all commands taught during the private lesson portion of the “Ultimate Training Package.”  Clients who are unprepared, will be welcome to observe, but may not participate.

♦    Before starting the training, all dogs must be on-leash, and dogs deemed people- or dog-aggressive must be wearing a well-fitted muzzle. Mesh muzzles are not acceptable.

♦    We want all members of our group to be safe and comfortable at all times.  New dogs and owners will be methodically integrated into the group.  Do not allow your dog to approach newcomers either on- or off-leash until the trainer has indicated that it is safe to do so, since this can be intimidating and dangerous.  If you are a late comer wait until you are OKed to get in.

♦    Dogs deemed reliable by the trainer may be off-leash during certain exercises, as well as during free-time. However, with respect to the latter, please watch your dog and keep him/her away from bystanders, dogs that are new and not off-leash or not comfortable enough to join in.  You are responsible for your dog at all times, so please monitor your dog’s behavior.

♦    For safety reasons, during outdoor sessions, children, dogs, and other adults not participating directly in the class are not allowed on or near the training field.  All children under ten years of age must be directly supervised by an adult not participating in the session. Children must not approach any dog without permission of the trainer or the owner. Not all dogs are comfortable around children, which may lead to unpredictable behavior.  When classes are held indoors, and due to space constraints, non-participants may not attend.  Please note that this does not apply to a child over the age of ten who is directly handling a dog, or couples alternating sessions.

♦    Owners who have more than one dog enrolled should decide before arriving, which dog will be worked during that particular session, unless there are two handlers. You may also choose to split the session and work each dog separately, but one handler may not work two dogs simultaneously, since this creates confusion for both dogs.  If you plan to work only one dog that day, it is best to leave the other at home.  You may choose to bring a second dog along, but he/she must remain either inside your vehicle or away from the training area, on-leash, and under the direct supervision of another adult or older child who is capable of controlling barking and behavior.

Looking forward to seeing you at our group lessons!

If you read any of the testimonials we receive 2 things always jump out. First is the bond our clients feel with their dogs, and second is the speed of results they get.

Dog training goes much easier if your dog respects you rather than fears making a mistake.

Here are 5 ingredients to building a balanced, safe and secure relationship with your dog:

1) Know your dog: Know your dog well enough to know what  gets her anxious, stressed, happy and sad. Know to read your dog’s body language which is the primary form of communication for dogs.

2) Avoid problems that are avoidable: If there are places/situations where you know your dog will be anxious and stressed try to avoid those places/situations, if not avoidable then work on getting them more comfortable by classic conditioning strategies.

3) Calm leader is a strong leader: Dogs are energy driven animals; any time your dog sees you in  an excited state essp. in a mad, enraged, stressed out, yelling, and having a tantrum she will know you as a leader who lacks the confidence. Dogs will not follow a weak leader.

4) Don’t disregard emotions: When your dog misbehaving because of emotional issues rather than only dealing with the “action”  help your dog on the emotional side of the problem first. (ie if your dog is pulling on leash because she is afraid of a motorcycle, get her comfortable around motorcycles with some classic conditioning )

5) Touch your dog: Just like us humans dogs love to be touched softly and in a caring way.  Do not reserve the touching only for times when your dog is anxious.

Remember, your dog loves you unconditionally.