Cesar Milan, The Pack Walk, and Real Life !

Cesar Milan has provided such a wealth of information through his books, DVDs, and, of course, his highly successful show "The Dog Whisperer". He took the dog world by storm, so much so that a number of his key phrases are now a part of our common vernacular ! Although his methods and observations are not necessarily appreciated by every canine behaviorist / trainer, it is likely that we can all agree upon the value of walking one's dog on a regular basis, something Cesar calls a Pack Walk. Walking, or migrating, is one of the primary canid drives. In nature, wild dog packs migrate in search of food. Domestically speaking, we provide food for our dogs, so they have no need to migrate - or do they ?

It is my belief that indeed they do ! Walking your dog is one of the fundamental responsibilities incumbent upon a dog owner. At Calm K9, we always go for a long, vigorous, structured walk in the morning, after which time the dogs are fed in their crates. They are then allowed to rest in their crates before our next work session.

We are lucky that right down the street, there are many trails that criss-cross the green rolling hills surrounding Port Costa. In addition, because our lives have gone to the dogs (!) our schedule allows us to go on two to three lengthy walks every day. However, our dogs are not allowed to run willy nilly and meander the trails according to their whims and wiles. Instead, we view every walk we take as a training opportunity, and as such, we call this particular activity a Structured Walk. In addition to burning physical energy and fulfilling the migratory drive, we also challenge our dogs mentally during a Structured Walk, thus insuring that when we return home, our dogs will be ready to eat and rest.

It can be very challenging for dog owners to find the time to take their dogs for a 30 to 60 minute walk even once a day. We always work with our clients to create programs that fit their lifestyle while at the same time, providing their dogs with everything they need to live a fulfilled, happy life. By all means, find the time to walk your dog as often as possible. Keep in mind, though, that there are many other interactive activities you can do with your dog that will engage him both physically and mentally ! Don't feel bad if you can't strap on those roller blades like Cesar does and spend 1 1/2 - 2 hours a day walking your dog. Playing fetch in the back yard can be a great training opportunity - especially if you focus your dog and make him wait...wait...wait...FETCH ! The waiting burns that mental energy, and a properly tired dog is a happy dog ! Perhaps some more advanced obedience commands could be taught ! You can also practice things you have been working on with your dog in an area of higher distraction !

When you are working with your dog mentally, 15 to 20 minutes at most is the recommended time frame. Any more than that, and the lesson can take a turn for the worse - and you always want to conclude a training session on a good note. So you see, one good walk a day plus various other activities could make for a pretty happy household ! On the other hand, if you do have the time and inclination, more than one walk a day would be terrific ! The bottom line is it's got to work for both you and your dog !

Training A Difficult Dog - How To Deal With Separation Anxiety and High Prey Drive !

As a professional dog trainer, I am always amazed at what I learn from the dogs I am schooling.

One of our dogs came to us with over the top, completely out of control behavior when she spotted a squirrel or cat in motion. Utilizing every tool in my kit, I finally found great success by taking this little gal all the way back to square one, and utilizing low level stimulation and warm praise to distract her from her obsession with small beasts. I have certification in e-Touch Training as taught by Martin Deeley, and have relied heavily on my experience with this training modality to help this OCD-ish dog. She has had a sordid past and virtually no training whatsoever in her three short years of life. By breaking the training down to tiny, clear steps and maintaining calm, patient persistence, she is coming along so well now ! She has taught me not to give up even if the first 100 or so approaches haven't yet worked ! This little gal has been bounced around so much - everyone who had her as either a potential companion pet or as a training client gave up on her ! But I am a nose-to-the-grindstone sort, and "doggedly" kept at it. Well - her world has been topsy-turvied, and she is blossoming under a regular schedule of challenging mental work, physical exercise and rest. Once the appropriate tweaks were made, she quickly and comfortably took to the routine I created for her, and she is a different doggie ! Many thanks to my training mentor, Heather Beck, for hosting her 3-D Seminar (Dealing With Difficult Dogs) ! Training this little girl challenged me to dig very deep and create a program that would work for her and all of her idiosyncracies. I will keep you all posted on her progress !

Separation Anxiety has been touted as one of the most challenging behaviors for a trainer. A recent client took my advice and began crating her dog Honey, and much to my client's astonishment, Honey is doing great ! Along with crating, there are so many things that you can do to achieve both peace of mind for yourself and a happy, self-confident dog who is perfectly content to be home alone. If you are facing this issue, go ahead and give me a call - you can find my contact information on my website calmk9.net. I'd be happy to hear from you and give you a few pointers on how to transform your Nervous Nellie into a Happy Honey !

Still working on getting that camera fixed - pictures will soon be up !

Thanks so much for visiting !

Autumn Is A Busy Time At Calm K9 Behavioral Dog Training !

Hooray ! Our move to Port Costa is finally complete ! My personal items are still mostly in boxes, of course, but the dogs are cozily ensconced in their new digs, with all of their canine accoutrement at the ready ! As expected, they have adapted to their new home beautifully, and we have been taking full advantage of everything this area has to offer - miles and miles of trails, a large fenced grassy meadow just down the street, bayside strolls, and a variety of distractions which are great for training purposes. Port Costa is not what you would call a bustling metropolis, but our little downtown area does provide some interesting challenges, especially on the weekends when the biker dudes roar down the main stem on their Harleys and converge at The Warehouse. Lots of people, lots of action, lots of training opportunities !

In addition to Cowboy, we have taken in two dogs who come from divergent, less than ideal circumstances. Yang, a little Pit Bull mix, began life with a homeless man in the City, and, after being bounced around for the better part of two years, a small group of us saved her from euthanasia at the eleventh hour. She is thriving under our Hard Core Rehabilitative Program and is quickly advancing through our training regimen. Yang's biggest challenge is her over the top prey drive ! Anything small and in motion sets her off ! However, we've made some significant inroads into modifying this behavior, and her progress is really exciting !

Sparky lived in a beautiful home with a large family, but he was not suited to their lifestyle. A 7 year old Border Collie, he spent much of his time in a small, enclosed laundry room, or outside, unsupervised, in the backyard - his weekly routine consisted of escaping from the yard and running wildly around the streets - yikes ! Long story short, I adopted him from the family and he joins Yang in our Hard Core Rehabilitative Program. In less than one week, Sparky has morphed from an out of control, whining, anxious dog into one who is much calmer, attentive and relaxed. He is an angel - so smart, sensitive and lively ! We don't have any sheep around here, so I can't wait to get him involved in some agility activities - if ever a dog needed a job.....

Several new clients have come our way recently, and we have thoroughly enjoyed meeting them and working with their dogs - from Akitas to Goldens to Hounds ! Many thanks to all of our new two and four legged friends !

Will post more photos soon - my camera has decided to go on the fritz !

New Bay Area Dog Training Facility Almost Ready To Open !

As the summer of 2009 draws to a close, we are truly poised on the launching pad of Calm K9's grand debut ! Although we have had several unforseen obstacles pop up (and aren't unforseen obstacles the most "exciting" of all ?), things are progressing wonderfully, and soon we will be in our new facility which is located in the beautiful town of Port Costa, California !

Port Costa is in Contra Costa County (in the East Bay), just a few miles off of Highway 4, nestled on the banks of the Carquinez Strait. Although it is quite conveniently located, Port Costa feels as if it is hundreds of miles away from the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area ! We are literally just a few minutes walk from some of the most stunning trails the East Bay has to offer, and our canine clients are sure to be as thrilled as we are about that ! It's been lots of fun planning out our new "dog room" so it's just the way we like it - clean and comfortable, well organized, and totally dog friendly !


Other projects we are currently working on include finishing up the re-vamping of our website, calmk9.net, and scouting out a location for special, free Puppy Socialization classes that will be offered every weekend, rain or shine ! Knowing how important socialization is for puppies, we are really looking forward to meeting lots of new folks and their pups ! Can you imagine how much fun this will be ? Bring your video cameras along - we will post your footage here on our blog so the world can appreciate your adorable little one ! Again, this will be offered at no cost, so please keep checking back with us for more information as we get this exciting opportunity off the ground ! If you'd like, we'd be happy to send you an email when we are finally ready to let your puppies loose - just send us a note, and we will keep you up to date on our upcoming free Puppy Socialization events !

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the photos of our Cowboy when he was a puppy - we'll be back soon with more news from Calm K9 !