Do you have special eye signals or gestures that you think your dog understands when you disapprove of something? Do you find your dog speaks more than you do? Are you training your dog through osmosis or ESP?

This particular owner tries to communicate through facial expressions and grunts, rather than clear commands and positive voice inflection. The Ol’ Evil Eye righteously feels his dog knows what he has done wrong when he gives his pup the Ol’ Evil Eye glare.

Your dog may be thinking many things, but your dog is not thinking of ways to correct his own behavior. Dogs are very sensitive to voice inflection, body language and eye contact. So you may get a reaction from this human behavior. However, it is going to be a misunderstanding.

O.k., I know many owners don’t perceive themselves as abusive or violent people. For some, somewhere along the road, they heard that when a dog has done something wrong, a light bop on the nose will teach him to not to misbehave. Wrong. Under no circumstance should you ever hit your dog. Ever.

Hitting a dog does not serve any purpose. We pat our dogs with our hand and we use hand signals for advanced obedience. If you use your hand to hit your dog (even a rolled-up newspaper), you are sending a mixed signal. Trust, guidance and communication need to be your motivation. Teaching your dog to be obedient should be achieved through positive reinforcement, not punishment and discipline. Aggression can only lead to aggression over time.

Identifying features: The Smacker’s philosophy allows a dog’s misbehavior to happen in the first place because this owner is incorrectly disciplining a behavior that has already happened. For example, a four month-old puppy does not know not to chew on a piece of furniture: it’s teething. All of his teeth need to come loose so new ones will grow in. Many people try to reprimand this natural function incorrectly instead of providing boundaries, providing chew bones and puppy proofing. Yes, there is a proper reprimand for chewing an expensive chair but bopping on the nose is not part of the answer. That kind of correction can trigger other issues such as spot peeing out of fear, mistrust over time and many other things. Many Smackers feel and justify that it was not hard or did not hurt the dog. However, in doing so, you’re not accomplishing an understanding or proactively understanding your dog’s needs, which in that case is to chew!

This disciplinarian believes “Hey!” is a generic command to handle all situations. This breed of dog owner usually owns the wild child of the puppy world and is “winging it.” The following behaviors are possible consequences of the Control Freak’s misguided form of reprimand: chewing furniture, grabbing food of the table, jumping on the couch and the list goes on… However, a clear understanding is never reached between this owner and his dog.

This breed of dog owner has at least two or three meanings for ‘Hey!”  He leaves it up to the dog to decipher what he means every time he chants the word. Instead the dog learns to tune him out and continue the behavior.

Identifying features: Common phrases used on a daily basis. “No, get down!” (actually a seventies disco term, not an obedience command) “Off!” ( is actually a bug spray) “Hey!” (is for horses).

If you’re laughing to yourself or at yourself,  you may be or know a family member who at least a mix or a pure bred Control Freak. Many people feel that their dog behaves badly on purpose. The reality is that many young dogs lack a daily structure of exercise and positive structured training on a leash as reinforcement. That same wild child could actually become the over achieving student. All that energy would flow in a positive direction. A pleasant command is worth a thousand reprimands.

Do you feel if you repeat a command often enough, sooner or later your dog will catch on? Are your favorite words “Come on!”? Or do you call your dog’s name a zillion times hoping the dog will pay attention? If your actions fit this breed of dog owner, your dog is on his way to teaching you to beg!

Chew on this: If your dog could talk, his first words would be “WHAT?”

Identifying features: This personality type of owner gets an A for effort, but is carrying the philosophy of repetition in dog training too far. The Coaxer comes in many different shapes and sizes. A fundamental problem arises from endless repeating of your dog’s name without addressing what you want your dog to do. Actions prove louder than words.

Actions, such as using movement and the command “Let’s go!” motivates your dog to follow. Training basic commands on a leash creates eye contact and makes the process fun for your dog. The habit of coaxing your dog can produce aloof behavior and mar the training process. Human behaviors can create automatic misbehaviors in your dog!

Huh? Yup, I created the ”Seven Breeds of Dog Owners” because it gives us a way to see how our actions shape our dog’s behavior. We all have human habits and quirks that will impact our dog and other relationships. It just seems to come out faster with our dogs. We don’t though always see them unless someone is kind enough to point them out to us. You know who you are. Some of you have lengthy conversations with your dogs attempting to teach them commands. Others try coaxing, whining, or even begging.

Different dog owner personalities or “breeds,” as I call them can surface during different stages of your dog’s development. So don’t be surprised if you start out by identifying with the Coaxer and end up relating to the Control Freak by the time your puppy is eight months old. I have been in many homes where couples get a dog and one of the two has his or her own theory about puppy raising. Winging it can create a pile of problems. One partner may be in militant about rules, while the other is sharing their sandwich with the puppy on the couch. Dogs follow patterns and become consistently inconsistent to our inconsistencies. Are you confused? Just think how your dog feels.

The ability to recognize yourself in the process of training your dog will help you check your own behavior before you start influence your dog negatively. I’m not going to reveal all seven now but I’ll give you some identifying features of one of them. See if you can relate. This breed of dog owner insists their dog knows what they want him to do, but just wont do it! They often say the dog is just plain stubborn! This attitude may apply to other members of the family too. Sound familiar?

No matter what age, occupation, or disposition, we all fit into one or more of my seven personality types.

Stay tuned to find out which breed of dog owner you most relate to!

The holiday season is approaching and so are the visits to our relatives and friends homes. Dog and child safety is a vast topic and one that is dear to my heart, which I will cover extensively in future blog entries. Today, I want to give you  food for thought. No pun intended. : ) Turkey day is a time for family gatherings and often we have new family members and some who have grown older. I’m talking about everyone, even the four-legged kind.

Dog owners and parents of children need to be aware that accidents can happen, even with the nicest dog. Dog bites occur for many reasons and can happen from even the most unexpected little dog. Dog owners and parents, listen up! Do not look to the dog to show you whether he/she is good with children. Often it’s the circumstance that can create a quick snap at a child. Remember, accidents happen by mistake, not on purpose. One thing to know is that dogs can view children as submissive beings. In other words, dogs view kids as they would another dog, which means that rules during play can change rapidly.

Understanding why and how is half the battle of safety. For example,  puppies lose their teeth (new teeth grow underneath their gums creating the need to bite and chew) and play with other dogs while wrestling with their mouths open. Kids are low to the ground, move fast and can be unpredictable with their movements. Older dogs can have physical changes happening that you are not aware of, creating a more protective reaction to sudden movements. Get it? Toy breeds have their own issues with children such as being picked up and accidentally hurt.

My main point to dog owners is that is up to us to ensure safety and not just deem the dog good or bad with children. I hear all the time from people that their dog is good with children. Yes, your dog may be good with children upon approach. However, an entire evening during a holiday party with both dogs and children loose in your house with cocktails flowing may create another story.

Parents can begin with knowing your child. Take into account your child’s age, reaction to animals and previous exposure to pets. This will help you understand where your child stands on the issue of dogs. Just because you own a great dog that’s used to kids doesn’t mean your friends’ or relatives’ dog is good with kids. Early preparation is best.  Speak to your relatives and friends in advance. Find out what some of the issues might be. Set up a puppy protocol! State your concerns about the evening or visit during the holidays.

There are hundreds of variables to this issue but one thing is for sure, I will be giving lots of tips on this topic in upcoming blogs!

Paws For A Minute™ tip of the day:

Listen up, dog owner and parents! Do not look to your dog or child to ensure safety. It’s up to us to be aware!

In the dog world, the rule of thumb is always age before beauty. We could learn something from that philosophy! To me there is something very special about senior dogs. The word “perfect” comes to mind. They have seen it all, over a 10 year span. Our ups and downs, good times and bad. Large breed dogs can sometimes age more rapidly than toy breeds. What exactly constitutes “old” in the dog world? Dog owners should begin to prepare for the “golden years” when their dog is around 6 years old. Don’t get depressed. Prepare!

This awareness and preparation will empower you. This dog owner awareness could also save your dogs life, aid in your dog being able to grow old gracefully, prevent a child from being bitten by mistake or even save you thousands of dollars!

I can tell you that over the many years of my career as a trainer and behaviorist,  I have discovered cancerous tumors while cuddling with clients dogs and even encountered behavioral issues that were in fact, due to medical ailments. Therefore, I have devised a checklist that could possibly save your dogs life.

Dog Owner Checklist for Senior Dogs

1. When your dog turns 6 years old have a complete medical examination with your vet.

2. Examine your dog occasionally when cuddling for lumps and bumps.

3. Have your dogs teeth cleaned. This can prevent major problems in the future. This is very important! Especially for toy breed dogs.

4. Speak to your vet about your dogs food. Nutritional needs change over time. Adding a few supplements or even changing your dogs food to a senior diet could be a great idea.

5. Aging dogs sleep longer and deeply. Parents need to know that even the nicest dog can snap at a child when sleeping. Note changes in your dog. If you have young children, creating a baby gated space for your aging dog to sleep will protect both. Parents need to be aware of this aging process with dogs.

6. Do some training on a leash! Yup, bring back the puppy in your older dog. The leash will formalize this fun exercise and really create the focus and attention that your older dog will love. Then go through some old tricks. Your older dog will love the attention and praise for this accomplishment. Training also enables you to see if your dog is hearing or seeing properly. As your dog ages it is common to go into “dog owner denial” and think our dog is just being stubborn, when really other changes might be taking place.

7. Become aware of your dogs water intake. This can be an indicator of changes on the way. Always check with your vet.

I thought I would write about this important topic because even the nicest people, when training their dog, end up having a stern voice. Many dog owners think they need to be firm when giving  their dog direction. Voice inflection can be a very powerful tool in dog training! Your voice can give commands like “Let’s Go!” energy, much like a gas pedal does when driving a car. Your voice can also be as good as a cookie is as a reward. Okay… almost, as good as a cookie.

I think that most people take this power for granted. Many owners start out with good intentions when training their dog. They begin with positive voice inflection and repeat commands almost too often when their dog is off leash. Their dog learns to tune them out over time. If you rely on a firm voice to control your dog who is not formally trained, you are not reaching a true understanding and trust because your dog never learned the command in the first place. Your voice inflection just turns into negative babble to your dog.

All dogs, no matter what age, even those rescued from a shelter, need to be formally introduced to commands (heel, sit, stay, down, come and o.k) on a leash. Think of these basic commands like the alphabet.  If you practice 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there in your house, and do so by guiding your dog on a leash,  it will create consistency. Of course this does NOT mean keep your dog on a leash all the time. Simply, when you  first start training your dog, the leash is a really good tool to have because it reinforces eye contact while keeping your voice positive and upbeat, versus coaxing, begging or controlling. Dogs love that!