Pup Concierge's Founder, Caitlin Bernard, featured on the Morning Show with Mike & Juliet

Dog Puzzles

Buying a Puppy From a Pet Store

I walked by this sign in a pet store window today:

I worked with a couple recently for a private training for their Dachshund puppy who they bought in a pet store. They immediately said that they didn't feel good about buying the dog in a pet store since normally they rescue dogs, but after picking her up and holding her, they couldn't leave without her. They called me for puppy training, housebreaking, socialization, and separation anxiety.

Following the training session, I received news from the couple that the puppy had cried for five hours and knocked a baby gate over on herself trying to escape her puppy pen. The mom took the puppy to the vet to be examined just in case she had sustained injury. The puppy was fine, but since the puppy had such extreme separation anxiety the vet checked the breeding records and apparently the little puppy was too young to be away from her mother. She hasn't been weaned properly and the breeder/puppy mill that sold the puppy to the pet store, clearly didn't have the puppy's best interests in mind. The couple didn't feel prepared or feel they they have enough time to devote to a puppy with extreme separation anxiety. Very brokenhearted, the couple returned the puppy to the pet store. The fact that any human being would take a puppy from their mother at such a young age, breaks my heart. There are many people who breed dogs for profit and nothing else, and don't even get me started on puppy mills.

Here are the Human Society's facts:

"* Pet stores cater to impulsive buyers and consumers seeking convenient transactions.These stores don't interview prospective buyers to ensure responsible, lifelong homes for the pets they sell, and the stores may be staffed by employees with limited knowledge about pets and pet care.
* A "USDA-inspected" breeder does not mean a "good" breeder. Be wary of claims by pet store staff that they sell animals only from breeders who are "USDA-inspected." The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) enforces the federal law called the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which regulates commercial breeding operations. But the act doesn't require all commercial breeders to be licensed, and the USDA establishes only minimum-care standards in enforcing this law. Breeders are required to provide food, water, and shelter—but not love, socialization, or freedom from confining cages. Many USDA-licensed and inspected puppy mills operate under squalid conditions with known violations of the AWA.
* Many disreputable "breeders" sell their dogs directly to the public over the Internet and through newspaper ads. They often sell several breeds of dogs, but may advertise each breed in a separate place and not in one large advertisement or website. These breeders are not required to be inspected by any federal agency and, in many states, are not inspected at all.
* Reputable breeders care where their puppies go and interview hopeful adopters. They don't ever sell through pet stores or to families they haven't thoroughly checked out.
* Purebred "papers" do not guarantee the quality of the breeder or the dog. Even the American Kennel Club (AKC) readily admits that it "cannot guarantee the quality or health of dogs in its registry."
* Puppy mill puppies often have medical problems. These problems can lead to veterinary bills in the thousands of dollars. But pet retailers count on the bond between families and their new puppies being so strong that the puppies won't be returned. And guarantees are often so difficult to comply with that they are virtually useless. In addition, poor breeding and socialization practices at many puppy mills can lead to behavioral problems throughout the puppies' lives. In the event your new puppy does experience medical problems, file a Pet Seller Complaint Form.

Please don't buy from a pet store, and be very wary of websites and newspaper ads. Above all, don't ever buy a dog if you can't physically visit every area of the home or breeding facility where the dogs are kept. Puppy mills will continue to operate until people stop buying their dogs." Cite: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_adoption_information/buying_a_puppy/

I urge you to adopt from a shelter where you may find puppies and adult dogs of all breeds just waiting for the right home. If you prefer to go to a breeder, do your research, call references, go and meet the litter several times if you can before taking a puppy home.

Dog Parks: Advice, Tips, and Information

Pup Concierge
Dog Park Tips

As the weather gets warmer, if you're anything like me, you can't wait to spend lots of time with your dog(s) at the dog park. Even if you've never been to a dog park before, I've included tips and information to make your dog park visits fun and safe for you and your dog. Dog parks provide incredible exercise and socialization for your dog. Taking your dog to the dog park before a long car ride, before guests are coming over, or before you leave to go to someone else's house will ensure your dog is tired and therefore better behaved.

Entering the Dog Park

• If your dog gets very excited as you approach the park, do not let them pull you. If you let your dog pull you to the park, you're rewarding the behavior by allowing them to get to the park faster and the park itself is a huge reward! Instead, every time your dog pulls, stop walking. This may mean that you walk a few steps, stop and wait for your dog to sit or release the tension in the leash, before you begin walking again. This teaches your dog that you will not tolerate pulling and the notion that the more they pull, the longer it takes to get to the park. Additionally, if your dog is pulling terribly, I recommend walking right by the dog park and going for a long walk instead of playing in the park that day. This will teach your dog that every time you walk towards the park, it doesn't necessarily mean they're going to the park rather they will only be permitted to go if they can walk nicely to the gate.
• Do not bring treats into the dog park with you. Other dogs will try to mug you, jump on you, and get to wherever you've hidden the treats and this will not be a relaxing time for you. Keep any treats inside a treat pouch not your pocket (planet dog and gentle leader make great treat pouches, old makeup bags also make great treat pouches or just a ziplock bag)! Before entering the dog park, leave your treat pouch outside the fence.
• If you have a small dog, I recommend bringing them to the big dog and small dog parks, they should be socialized to dogs of all sizes!
• Do not bring toys with you to the dog park. Even if your dog shares toys well, other dogs will guard resources and this is the most common cause of dog park fights.
  

At the Dog Park

• The purpose of the dog park is for your dog to socialize with others! Give your dog freedom to play with other dogs and people while keeping a close eye on them from a distance. I recommend giving your dog a lot of independence at the park and encouraging them to make friends. If you're constantly standing over your dog's shoulder, pulling your dog onto your lap for attention, or pushing him/her to play with others, then you're becoming the center of attention for your dog instead of building their confidence with others. If your dog is extremely clingy, keep your interaction with your dog to a minimum, ignoring is best and supervise at a distance.
• In general, it is best for dogs to work things out on their own. However, some dogs aren't good at reading another dog's signals, and likewise, some dogs aren't good at establishing and reinforcing their boundaries. In some cases, it is best that people step in to assert the appropriate boundaries. If another dog is being too aggressive with your dog or becoming fixated on humping, and the dog's owner isn't getting involved, grab the other dog's collar and pull them away for a time out. If the owner comes over to see what you're doing, explain in a nice way what the dog was doing that warranted a time out. Hopefully the owner will be understanding and pay closer attention to their dog's behavior.
• If your dog is humping too much or not playing nicely, grab your dog's collar and pull them to a corner of the park for a timeout where you hold their collar and ignore them (keep your back turned, no talking to them, or touching them). If the humping or other undesired behavior persists, you should leave the park. This technique is called Negative Punishment, and if you are consistent, your dog will make the correlation between humping and having to leave the park. To further explain Negative Punishment, the dog is removed from the environment (negative result in the dog's mind) and the humping behavior decreases (punishment).
• If there is ever a fight at the park, do not try to separate two dogs by reaching for their mouths. This is probably your instinct but it is very dangerous. Rather enlist help from others and lift the dogs by their back legs upside down. This is a very disorienting feeling for the dogs and naturally they will release hold of whatever is in their mouth both due to gravity and shock of being upside down. Additionally, creating a loud noise or throwing a shirt over the dogs will also be distracting. If the dogs are injured in the fight, put pressure on any wounds and do not move the dog until the bleeding has stopped, then exchange information with the dog's owner including their phone number, dog's veterinary information and get to your nearest vet immediately for the vet to examine your dog. It's a good idea to know the address and phone number of the vet nearest to your favorite dog park but when in doubt call 311 in New York. In pet emergencies, you cannot call 911 or you will be fined, use 311 instead.
  
• The dog park is a great place to practice off leash training- come, fetch, or a game of hide and seek is a great way to let your dog know that even though they have freedom, they still need to respond to your commands. I especially love hide and seek because if you hide behind a tree and call your dog, your dog learns to look for you which come in very handy when it's time to leave.

Leaving the Dog Park

• If you have a very outgoing dog who never wants to leave the park, keep changing where you're standing or sitting is a great way to encourage your dog to look for you and be aware of where you are. Also play hide and go seek with your dog, give them lots of praise and attention when they come find you! When it's time to leave the park, never chase your dog to leave, this will turn into a very fun keep away game for your dog and they're faster and will generally win! Instead say your dog's name and "come" as your run towards the gate to leave the dog park. It's a lot more fun for a dog to chase you and at the same time your dog will comply with your command to leave the park. Praise your dog as your buckle on their leash to leave. I also find retreating and bowing in a playful way to your dog (think of the yoga pose downward facing dog) to be a great way to inspire your dog to leave the park. It's the same pose dogs do with each other when they're playing. When your dog complies and comes to you to leave give lots of verbal praise and tactile praise, once you're outside the dog park, give them a treat from your pouch and lots of praise.
• If these methods don't work, I recommend having a friend meet you at the park who your dog doesn't know well. When you say "come" or "let's go" to your dog, if they dont comply, leave the park while your friend stays to supervise your dog. Once your dog realizes that you've left without them because they didn't comply, it can be a changing moment in their lives. Sometimes you may have to leave for 30min before it really hits home for your dog. When you come back to the park, say "let's go" or whatever command you want to use every time, and if your dog doesn't comply, leave again. This technique doesn't work on every dog but this technique has been very successful for me and my clients. Oftentimes in one day, your dog will change their way of thinking and watch and follow you to the gate to leave because they don't want you to leave without them.

New York City Dog Runs
For more information or to find the dog park closest to you, check out:
http://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/dogruns

My favorite dogs parks :
Tompkins Square Park 1st Avenue to Avenue B, from East 7th to East 10th streets

Washington Square Park 5th Avenue, Waverly Place, West 4th Street, between McDougal & Thompson streets, south side of the park (behind building)
Central Park www.centralparknyc.org

Pup Concierge Food Stuffed Toys

My dogs' house rules

At Pup Concierge, all of our clients have their own house rules in terms of acceptable behavior and expectations for their dog(s). I want to share our house rules for our boys. My fiance, Paul Sancimino, and I have two Puggles, Marley (3 years old) and Tucker (almost 6months old). They are the loves of our lives, we practice training on a daily basis, and have lots of fun, exercise, socialization, and snuggle time. When our dogs disobey any of the following rules, they get a timeout in their crate (the length of time for the timeout is directly related to the offense). Since we are very consistent, our dogs instantly know when they've done something wrong and will walk themselves into their crate and sit there quitely until they are released.

Here is a letter to our dogs outlining the Bernard/Sancimino dog house rules:

1. You may not sit anywhere near us while we are eating. Begging is unacceptable and we never share our food with you. Any acceptable leftovers (see my blog on forbidden foods) will be placed inside of food-stuffed toys, put in the freezer, and used as an occupier for you at a later point. We use the command "out" and "stay" and our dogs recognize us as a leaders and do not beg since we've always been consistent.

2. You may not steal food from your brother. For mealtime, you will hold a sit-stay with your food in the bowl in front of you, you may begin eating when we give you the release word- Okay.

3. Snuggling on the couch, kissing, nuzzling, bellyrubs, are highly encouraged. You must respond to "off" when it is time for you to get off the couch. You are not permitted on any furniture but the couch.

4. Tucker will always be in his crate at night or in unsupervised times for his first year, crate training is amazing when done properly. Since Tucker is in the crate, Marley is too so he doesn't taunt him. Both dogs love their crate and go running into their dens with the command "go to bed." We randomly put treats and other food stuffed toys in their crates, making it a wonderful destination for them.

5. Make friends and be outgoing! Please warmly welcome our two and four-legged guests into our home, give them lots of attention, play, and snuggle with them.

6. No sleeping in our bed. As a special treat (2-3times a year), we might invite you for snuggle time in the bed but you'll have plenty of snuggle time on the couch.

7. No chasing or whining at the cats when we're in Vermont at your grandparent's house.

8. You may only chew on your toys. I do not give my dogs stuffed animal toys because they're too similar to clothes and shoes and I do not want my dogs to mistake our things for a toy.

9. Going for a walk outside, you will heel nicely, respond to sit, down, stay, look, leave it, hand target, and calmly greet people and dogs or you will not say hello at all- pulling, barking, or jumping is unacceptable and will not be rewarded. You will also sit or lay down in the elevator the entire time so as not to disturb other people.

10. This goes without saying, but no going to the bathroom in the house! An occassional excitement pee is unavoidable but highly discouraged.

Forbidden food for your dog

If you are a dog owner who likes to give your dog a nibble of your food, please be careful what types of food you share with your dog. It's safest to stick to rice, lean meats, plain bread, and pasta. From a training perspective, I do not recommend ever sharing food with your dog while you're eating. Rather, stuff a Kong toy with leftovers, put it in the freezer, and give it to your dog as an occupier while you're cooking the following night. Otherwise, your dog will beg and look at you, yearning for a bite of what you're eating.

Be sure to avoid giving your dog access to the following foods because they can be harmful:

Chocolate: Large amounts of chocolate, especially dark chocolate or baking chocolate are dangerous to dogs and cats.

Candy: Any candies containing the artificial sweetener, Xylitol, can cause your dog's blood sugar to drop, leading to seizures and possibly death.

Grapes and raisins: Even a single serving can be enough to lead to kidney failure in your pet. Never give these to your dog.

Nuts: Any nuts should be avoided, but walnuts and macadamia nuts are particularly toxic.

Onion: Ingesting onions can destroy an animal's red blood cells causing breathing difficulties, anemia, and weakness.

If you're concerned about your dog eating a forbidden food while you're cooking, I recommend teaching your dog that they're not permitted to be in the kitchen while you're preparing a meal. Using the commands "out" and "stay" will help. Practice these commands without the presence of cooking and food, then increase the difficulty by adding more distractions like pretending to cook, finally when you're ready for the real thing, you're dog will have practiced the appropriate behavior.

Additionally, I recommend teaching the command "go to bed" to teach your dog to play with toys in a designated spot or in a crate/den at that time. I recommend that you hide some of your dog's favorite toys and give them to your dog while you're cooking and eating. Your dog will be so excited by their favorite toy or food stuffed toy that they'll be appropriately occupied while you're cooking or eating.