Kona's first training session with City Dog Pack

This is Kona. She is a beautiful 9 month old beagle pointer mix with lots of energy and lots of personality.  She had her first training session with me on Friday and she did exceptionally well.  Her owners called me because while they were doing a good job training her on there own, they needed help maintaining her focus and she had anxiety issues with elevators.  During her first training session we went over leash etiquette and the sit and down commands.  Kona's great performance during her first training session was a reflection of her owners.  They did a great job taking in the information I was teaching them and their timing was spot on.  Kona learned the sit and down commands in 5 minutes and after doing some leash etiquette exercises for about a half hour, she was able to walk by her owners without lunging.  We also did some desensitizing with the elevator and her issues are nearly gone.  We will be teaching her the stay command next.  Stay tuned to follow Kona's progress!

The importance of positive and negative reinforcement in dog training

There are two general methods in regards to dog training; positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.  Many people have incorrect understandings of what exactly these methods mean.  Just to clarify, positive reinforcement involves rewarding the dog with food or toy rewards and praise, while negative reinforcement involves removing positive rewards, verbal reprimands and physical corrections, such as a tug on the leash or stimulation from a remote collar.  Many dog trainers choose to use one method exclusively, however the best dog trainers have knowledge and use both positive and negative reinforcement.  Positive reinforcement is the best method for teaching a dog new behaviors and it's a great way to communicate with a dog to let them know that what they are currently doing is exactly what you want them to do.  Trainers who are completely against positive reinforcement argue that it is bribery and not training.  If used correctly, positive reinforcement is not at all bribery but a great way to establish a bond of trust between you and your dog.  However, positive reinforcement alone can result in a shallow relationship between you and your dog where your dog will only respond to you if you will give them a treat or a toy and if used alone, it is incomplete training.  Positive reinforcement alone is incomplete training because without negative reinforcement you can not have assurance that your dog will listen to you in any situation.  For example if your dog chases a cat out into the street, the reward of catching the cat is possibly more valuable to your dog than any food or toy reward you can offer.  Sometimes there is no way positive reinforcement can stop or improve unwanted behavior.  This is where negative reinforcement comes in.  Negative reinforcement is the best method for correcting unwanted behavior and it communicates to your dog that disobeying you or behaving badly

Keeping your dog cool this summer.

I'm a big believer in providing a lot of  exercise for dogs by taking them on long walks and having them participate in physical activities that increases their heart rate such as, dog agility, retrieving and jogging.  However, in the summer time I'm very careful with how hard I push my dogs.  The heat can be more dangerous for dogs than for humans.  Dogs are much more closer to the ground than we are and the radiant heat from the street can make the temperature for them feel 10 to 20 degrees hotter.  Follow these tips to keep your dog cool this summer.
1. Schedule long walks or activities during the cooler parts of the day: Try reserving your dog's longest walk or activities early in the morning or after sunset if possible.  Temperatures are usually much cooler during these times.

2. Keep your dog hydrated: Provide plenty of fresh water before, during and after walks.  You can find many collapsible water bowls in pet stores that can conveniently fit in your pocket.  These are great for giving your dog water during their walks.

3. Know where you can find water in the area you are in: Try to remember where you can find water fountains and spigots.  You don't want to be in a position where you have an over heated dog and you don't know where to find water.  Many places don't allow dogs, so you can't expect to walk in any public place with your dog to get water.

4.Wet your dog before walks:  This can make a big difference in temperature.  Dogs can not sweat to cool their selves down like we can.  A wet dog can stink up your apartment but don't worry.  In really hot weather, your dog can dry up in as little as 15 minutes.

5. Stay in shaded areas: During your walk, choose routes that are in the shade.  If you decide to take a break, choose a shaded area.

6. Stay off the streets:  As mentioned earlier, the radiant heat from the streets can make the temperature much higher for dogs and the heat from the asphalt can burn their paw pads.  Try to limit their time in the street and stay in the park as long as possible.  The trees in the parks provide shade and the grass and dirt is much cooler.

7. Last but not least, know the signs of over heating:  Don't freak out and rush your dog to the vet if it's panting.  Look out for raspy panting that makes it seem like your dog is having difficulty breathing.  Also look out for red eyes, and over drooling or foaming at the mouth.  If you see any of these signs, take a break in the shade, provide water and get your dog in an air conditioned room as soon a possible.  If you notice diarrhea with blood, constant vomiting or sluggish and confused behavior along with the other signs I mentioned,  try to cool your dog down as fast as possible and get them to a vet as soon as possible.  These are possible signs of heat exhaustion or even stroke which can be fatal.

With all this said, don't be afraid to enjoy the summer with your dog.  It is important to acclimate your dog in all types of weather.  Just follow these tips and take it easy with the physical activity. Enjoy your summer!

City Dog Pack's dog walkers and the competition.

Being a dog walker in NYC is a great job.  I absolutely love coming to work everyday.  I get great exercise while I hang out with amazing dogs all day.  All of the dog walkers in the City Dog Pack team consider it a privilege to work with dogs.  We enjoy walking our dogs in groups of 2 to 3 dogs as you can see in the pictures on the left, so that we can give our dogs individual attention.  Walking dogs in small groups gives us the opportunity to get to know each dog individually.  Other than walking dogs in small groups, another one of our big rules is that we never allow our dogs to wait outside while picking up other dogs.  This is something I see other companies do all the time and it really annoys me.  In the pictures on the right, you'll see dogs tied up to a fence while their dog walker (not from City Dog Pack) picks up another dog.  Some times these dogs will be left there for nearly an hour with one dog walker assigned to as many as 12 dogs!  The dog services business is a big business and the problem is sometimes you have people who start these companies because of the business opportunity and not for their love and knowledge of dogs.  To maximize profits, they hire under qualified personnel, they pay them poor wages, and they have them walk as many dogs they can at one time.  When I see the way these companies operate, I wonder if the dog owners even know how their dogs are walked everyday.  If there is a potential customer who doesn't care how their dog is walked, City Dog Pack is not for them!  We have by far the best dog walkers in NYC and  we take our dogs on structured walks where they will get great exercise and they will socialize with many dogs and people.  As founder of City Dog Pack my goal isn't to have the biggest or most profitable business I can have.  My goal is to provide the best dog walking and training services possible.

Private agility session with Teddy and Molly

Today City Dog Pack had an awesome dog agility session with two amazing Cockapoos, Teddy (pictured above) and Molly (pictured on the right).  Teddy and Molly practiced hurdles, the tire jump, the pause tables, and weave poles.  They both put on a great performance and made their mommies proud.  It takes a lot of hard work and practice to master dog agility but Teddy and Molly are off to a great start.  I love training dogs, rehabilitating dogs and walking them but working with dogs side by side in activities like dog agility is a very rewarding experience.  Many dogs in New York City don't get a chance to show off their full potential and activities like this give them that opportunity.  Today I was able to see how proud Teddy and Molly were when they completed an obstacle.  I can't wait to see how good they get!

Our free dog agility class 6/5/2011

City Dog pack had a very busy day during our last dog agility class.  We had many dogs show off their skills and we drew quite a crowd.  It was amazing to see how quickly many of the dogs learned how to negotiate the obstacles.  We even had a blind Australian Shepard come out and inspire the crowd when he jumped our highest hurdles!  Many of the pedestrians who were watching the class thought the dogs had a lot of experience with dog agility but most of the dogs who participated were in their first or second class.  Lola, a six pound French Poodle seen in the top picture, was fifteen minutes into her first class and she was dominating the course.  She was able to complete some of the obstacles of the leash in her very first class.  The dogs absolutely loved the class and some of their owners were pleased to see how tired their dogs were once they got home.  Besides developing a bond with your dog and giving them a sense of pride and fulfillment, activities like dog agility gives dogs an exceptional workout.  Everybody knows, a tired dog is a good dog!        

Mr. Linc the Yorkshire Terrier

This is Mr. Linc.  He is a four year old Yorkie and he has been a member of City Dog Pack for almost a year now.  When most people think of Yorkies they think of a high maintenance prissy dog but don't mistake Linc with one of those.  He is very masculine, tough and rugged.  Linc likes to go on easy strolls to Carl Schurz Park so that he can check out the cute girl dogs hanging out at the small dog park.  When I first met Linc he was not very social with other dogs and he was a bit lazy but now he's getting along better with other dogs and he enjoys going on longer walks.  When we had our first dog agility class I was shocked with Linc's performance.  I thought he was going to be content with watching other dogs run the course but he immediately put on a show.  He was jumping hurdles and loops, running through tunnels, climbing bridges and he even pulled a weighted cart!  Considering his usual mellow demeanor, his owners and I were surprised with his energetic outburst.  In this picture he is laughing because he just chased off a Pitbull.